From the cradle to the grave : life of Eld. Solon A. Howenstine

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GENEALOGY
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FROM THE

GRADLiE TB T^HEi &RAVE;

LIFE OF

ELD. SOLON A. HOWENSTINE.

BY

LYDIA HOWENSTINE,

roitT WATNE, INDIANA,

D. W. UNDERWOOD, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER,
1SU4.

Copyright, 1894,

By LYDIA HOWENSTINE.

All Rights Reserved.

Ei.tx S. A. H()\vi:nstixk.

I'.UiK

CHAPTER 1 9

Childhood and Parentage. — The Childhood

Home. — Speaking in Public.
CHAPTER n 15

Experiences in a New Country. — Startling

News. — Carried Home.
CHAPTER HI 20

Removals. — A Large P^amily. — Interesting

Evenings.
CHAPTER IV., 25

A New Life. — An Assault Prevented — New

Life in Christ Jesus.
CHAPTER V 30

Taking the Census and Taking a Wife. — Visit-
ing in His Native State. — United in Marriage.

— Moving on a Farm.

CHAPTER VI 35

Going Into the Ministry. — Licensed to Preach.
— Calls to New Fields.— Letter from Mrs. P.
E. Gillespie.

CHAPTER VII 41

Pastoral Work. — Talks with Laboring Men. —
Christ's Work on Earth. — A Visit to a Sick
Lady. — Sickness Among the Old People. — A
Dear Friend Departed.

CHAPTER VIII 50

A Meeting Unexpectedly Protracted. — An Invi-
tation to the Penitent. — Home Study and Map
Drawing. — Changes in Contemplation — Possi-
ble to Control Temper.

CONTKNTS.

CHAPTER IX -^y

Leaving the Farm. — PaniiiL;- With What is Dear
to Us. — Movini; to the City. — A (lootl Sermon
Appreciated.

CHAPTER X 63

A Wonderful Meetini;. — Reinforcements. — Last
Visit to the Old Home Church. — Letter from the
Elder to His Parents.

CHAPTER XI 70

Removing to a New Field of Labor. — Too
Busy to Visit. — Preached His Last Sermon. —
A Treasure in Heaven. — Her Spirit He Would
Not Recall.

CHAPTER XII 78

The Last Communion. — The Pastor's Request.
— A Hope That Never Falters.

CHAPTER XIII S3

The Last E^nemy. — Approaching the End —
The Spirit Took Its Flight.

CHAPTER XIV 8S

After the Struggle. — Preparations for the Bur-
ial.— The Funeral.

CHAPTER XV 93

Extracts from the Funeral Discourse, Delivered
by Rev. J. V. Updike.— Called to Higher Work.
— F'it for the Society of Angels.

CHAPTER XVI 98

Obituary, by Rev. Updike, Editor -of "The
Good News". — Rejoicing in Success. — Not
Dead but Sleeping. — Superintendent for Nine
Years. — Resolutions.

CHAPTER XVII 105

Obituary and Memorium. — Fought a Good
Fight. — A.sleep in Jesus. — A Tribute. — Anx
ious for the Salvation of All. — Prompting.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVIII 113

Elder Howeiistines's East Sermon. — Desired
Eetters. — Behold He Prayeth. — Suffer for the
Name of Jesus. — Teachingaiid Preaching. — Ye
That Fear God, Give Audience. — The God's
Likeness of Men.

CHAPTER XLX 124

Christmas Sermon Preached at Salem by Eld. S
A. Hovvenstine December 25, 1892. — Wonder-
ful Councellor.— Its Holy Light Still Lingers.—
Speak the Truth with Thy Neighbor.

CHAPTER XX 131

A Mother to Her Son.

CHAPTER XXI 136

E^aster Sermon, Preached by ¥Ad. S. A. Hovv-
enstine at Salem. --The King's Seal.

CHAPTER XXII 148

A Tribute to the Memory of S. A. Hovvenstine
by p:id. A. M. Gillespie.

CHAPTER XXIII 153

The Story of a Precious Life.

CHAPTER XXIV 158

Poems.

CHAPTER XXV 166

Conclusion.

THKK)^fS-

o^oC^SX^c

It was not the design of the writer when tliis commonplace
slvetch of biography was commenced to place it before the public.
It was only our aim to chronicle some of the more important events
of the pure, noble, useful, and holy life of our beloved son, Solon A.
Howenstine, and form them into a neat manuscript to lay away with
other relics of the dear departed one. But as the work of preparing
the manuscript progressed, we reflected more and more on the fact
that his beautiful life went out before it had reached the zenith of
his manhood; and comparatively few had come under the influence
of its effulgent rays. When we light a candle we must not put it
under a bushel, but put it on a candle-stick, that all tnay see it, and
be benefitted by the light thereof.

This is an age when mothers almost shudder at the thought of
raising a boy; on account of the pernicious influences that are
thrown around boys at such an early age. Good mothers fear and
dread the period in life when the child first leaves the parental roof
to attend the primary school, for fear that it will be robbed of its
innocence and puritj"; and have its sweet child character contami-
nated. If anything that we have recorded in the following pages
will aid in keeping these little ones from the corrupting influences
of evil society, we will freelv give it to them. We give a brief
history of this noble character; |irst as a child, then a youth, then
as a young man, as a school teacher, a Sunday school superintendent,
and as a farmer, and a carpenter, a candidate for office, and a min-
ister of the gospel. And, through all these vicissitudes he was the
same generous, noble, kind hearted christian gentleman, loved and
esteemed bv all; and almost idolized bv those who knew him best.

There are many biographies written and published, but they are
generally of those, who, have had many advantages in life. Such
as high parentage, wealth, affluence, leisure, educational advantages
in high schools, and colleges. But the subject of this little volume
came up through the rough school of experiences and adorned,
beautified, and sweetened all the common walks of life by his
examples of patience, forbearance and brotherly kindness. And
when he laid aside all his other vocations in life and concentrated
all the power of his intellect and the benefit of his wide experience
upon the ministry of the gospel, he met with a success seldom
achieved by those of superior advantages. It is for the benefit of
those who are hampered by circumstances and financially cramped,
and with no resources but their own exertions, that we present the
picture of this beautiful and useful life; that it may be transcribed
on the tablet of memory and give impetus to the progress of gen-
erations to come.

LYDIA HOWENSTINE.

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE.

Life of ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE.

CHAPTER I.

CHILDHOOD AND PARENTAGE THE CHILDHOOD HOME

SPEAKING IN PUBLIC.

fOLON A. HOWENSTINE, was born November 29th,
1856, in Stark county, Ohio. His ancestry were of
German stock; from Hanover on his father's side, and
from Prussia, on his mother's side. His earhest ancestor in
America on his father's side, was George Howenstine, who
emigrated to Lancaster county, Pa., previous to the Revolu-
tionary War, with his brother, John. They both enHsted.in
the service of the Colonists under General Washington.
They were both taken prisoners by the British and John died
of starvation and exposure; but George survived. He was
an expert blacksmith and could shoe horses for the British
officers with neatness and dispatch; for this reason he was
better fed, and better cared for than the common prisoners.
After the close of the war he married and became the
father of six children, namely: John, George, William,
Samuel, Elizabeth and Rosanna. Samuel, the grandfather
of the subject of this little volume, married Barbara Bender,
and there were eight children born to them, six of whom
lived to maturity, Samuel Howenstine was a prominent
member and elder in the pioneer Christian Church at Sparta,
Stark county, O.: and his home was the comfortable retreat
of the old pioneer preachers of Alexander Campbell'srefor-

10 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

mation, and his amiable wife left nothing undone that would
contribute to the comfort of such ministers as John Whit-
acre, Wilford A. Hall, author of "Problem of Life,"
"Microcosm," &c., and Lockhart, Moss, Lisitor McBride,
and many others.

The children they raised to maturity, were Henry,
Mary, William, Isaac, Sarah and Caroline. William, the
second son, married Lydia Kimmel, youngest daughter of
David Kimmel, Esq. This young lady was twenty-two
years of age when married and was a school teacher of
more than ordinary success and a great lover of books;
especially books of history, biography, and poetry; and had
spent most of the meagre wages that teachers received in
those days in the purchase of books and apparatus for
teaching. We commenced housekeeping in a small, but
neat frame cottage which stood on the east bank of the
Nimeshilen river near the highway leading from Sandyville
to Canton in Stark county, Ohio. The west bank of the
river was a large and very steep hill, covered by a dense
growth of trees and shrubbery, which made a most beau-
tiful background to this rural picture. In this plea.^ant little
home we lived till there were five children born into the
family. The eldest was Solon A., the subject of this little
sketch of biography. The second was Barbara E., who is
the wife of Elder Arthur Gillespie. The third was
Acenath, the wife of Wilbert J. Kaufman. The fourth,
Winfield Scott, only brother of the deceased, and married to
Alice Kiser. The fifth, Mary L., wife of Everet Kaufman.

Solon was a slender, delicate child at his birth and
before he was three months old he took a very malignant
type of whooping cough, which came near terminating his
baby existence; but by the skill and watchful care of Dr.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTlNE, II

D. L. Gants, our family physician, good nursing and the
blessing of Providence, he was restored to health, and
became a very bright and interesting child. He was the
first grandchild in the Howenstine family, and was much
beloved by all of its members, especially by his grandpa
and his uncle, Henry Howenstine and wife, who were child-
less. As- soon as httle Solon could run about, his grandpa,
who was a venerable old "soldier of the cross," would
come and take him by the hand and take long walks on the
banks of the river and would often come back carrying him
in his arms wrapt in the sweet slumbers of childhood. It
was in company with his grandpa that he learned many of
his early lessons in natural history, and the geography of
the old home farm and the surrounding neighborhood.
And as he learned to admire the beauties of nature, he was
steadily pointed through them to the great God who created
them, and taught to love Him, because He created all
things so good and so beautiful. But, alas ! these pleasant
walks and talks soon came to an end, as do all the joys ot
earth. When Solon was in his fifth year and had a little
sister to share his joys and sports, his dear old grandpa was
called from time to eternity. And dear as he loved these
little grand-children and his own beloved wife and family,
relatives, neighbors, and the church over which he had the
oversight for many years, he was glad to go, and "be absent
from the body and present with the Lord." In his dying
hour, after having put his hands on his little grand-children
and blessing them, he sweetly sang :

"I would not live alway; I ask not to stay
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way;

The few lurid mornings that dawn on us here
Are enough for life's joys, full enough of its cheer."

12 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GKAVE,

Then he passed sweetly out of this world of sin and
sorrow while some of the bystanders were finishing the
hymn. Old Father Whitacre was requested to preach the
funeral discourse, but he declined saying that he might as
well undertake to preach at the funeral of his own father or
brother, as that of Father llowenstine. They then procured
the service of A. B. Way, of Alliance, Ohio. His remains
were laid away in the the Green Ridge cemetery near the
school house where Solon first went to school. After the
death of his grandpa, he seemed more attached to his
mamma than ever before, though his papa was very kind and
affectionate toward him. No matter how busily we were en-
gaged at work we would always take time to answer his
questions and explain things he did not understand. It was
in the years that closely followed this event that his mother
taught him many grand lessons regarding our duty to God
and our fellow man. Such as the Golden Rule, the parable
of the good Samaritan, and that of the Sower, and how the
human heart is like a garden, with a soil that must be pre-
pared to receive the good seed of the kingdom; and how it
must be cultivated and the tares rooted out, in order to have
an abundant harvest of fruit that will be fit for the Master's
table. And also the story of Joseph, the faith of Abraham,
the choice of Ruth, the jealousy of Haman, the promotion
of Mordica, and many other lessons drawn from the little
incidents of every day life. And also how it is possible to
pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks.

About this time our boy had his first experience in
going to the district school. His "guardian angel" or
escort for the first term was Lizzie Hisem, an amiable and
refined young lady that lived near by. His first school
teacher or instructor in the common school was Rachel

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 1 3

Crisinger, who is now the wife of Rev. G. W. Sic-
afoose, presiding elder in the state of Washington. He
went to school three terms to this estimable lady, who was
in former years a pupil in his mother's school for four terms.
And, it was under the tutorship of this lady that he took
his first lessons in speaking or declaiming in school. His
mother composed and taught him many little appropriate
pieces to speak on these occasions, and in the last of the
three terms, he occasionally went to a lyceum on Friday
evenings, that was connected with the school. At one of
these meetings little Solon spoke "The House that Jack
Built," and when he came to the "rat that ate the malt" he
pulled out of his pocket a large rat made of gray cotton
flannel, with head and feet and a real rat's tail; and amid cheers
and laughter he said with emphasis, "and this is the rat
that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. " In
long years after this, when he thought and spoke as a man
and had almost forgotten these childish things, he was
preaching at Beach Grove, in Allen county, Ind. , when a
strange lady came into the neighborhood to visit relatives.
She came with them to church and was much interested in
the manner in which the preacher presented the gospel, and
enquired who he was; on being told that it was Solon How-
stine, she exclaimed, "And is that Solon Howenstine! I
saw hirn at the Green Ridge school house in Ohio when a
small boy and heard him speak, 'The House that Jack
built;' I said then that I'd bet we would hear from him in
after years if he lived." Victor Burnet, a connection of
the family of Wm. S. Howenstine, was his earliest play-
mate; and many an hour did they spend in the old mill yard
on the river bank, with their sleds, carts, kites and
driving hoops. And Sarah A. Haverland, whom he

14 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

named "Bodie" for a pet name, was the Peggotta of his
early childhood.

Before concluding this chapter I will give one more
little incident illustrating his childish joys and sorrows.
One bright summer morning his mamma started him and his
little sister, Barbara, to school. They were as happy as
the birds that caroled to them as they passed along, and
their faces were as bright as the daisies that nodded to them
by the wayside as they passed. When they got to 'Squire
Howenstine's they set their dinner bucket down outside the
gate and went in to wait for Mary, a little orphan girl that
was living there. In a few minutes the trio came tripping
out along the walk in high glee, when lo ! and behold ! a big
old pig had eaten their dinner and rolled the pail down the
hill. Then was heard a wail of sorrow equal to Rachel mourn-
ing for her children and refusing to be comforted because
they were not. But these dear children were comforted;
for good "Old Aunt Teeny" came out with her spectacles
pushed back on her head and dropping words of love and
pity at every step, and drove the naughty old pig away and
gathered up the pail and lid and took them into the kitchen
and washed them, and spread great slices of flaky bread
with golden butter and put them in the pail with slices of
cheese and ham and wiped away their tears and sent them
on their way rejoicing. "Be ye doers of the word, not
hearers only, and ye shall be likened unto a man who built
his house upon a rock. " This term of school and the winter
term following, taught by Harris Smith, of Bolivar, ended
his school days in Ohio.

Be on duty every day

And let your words be mild,
E'en if wrath beset your way

Speak gently to the child.

CHAPTER II.

EXPERIENCES IN A NEW COUNTRY STARTLING NEWS — CAR-
RIED HOME.

N THE month of February, 1862, Solon A. Howen-
stine, with his parents, Httle brother, and sisters, removed
to Whitley county, Ind. This was their first car ride
and it was very novel and exciting to the children. The
country was new and wild, and nearly everybody lived in
log cabins. The house into which we moved was built of
round logs with the bark on and hewn down on the inside,
and the cracks between the logs were filled with clay mortar
and ceiled with clapboards, and a great old fashioned chim-
ney fire place, with a brick hearth, in the east end of the
cabin. And when the children first entered the house they
exclaimed, "O ! what's that big hole for ?" But they soon
found out what it was for, by a bright cheerful fire being
built in the "big hole." Here, the scenery was new to the
children, and the boy, Solon, was in great glee on the new
farm, helping his father tap sugar trees, boiling maple
syrup, filling egg shells with hot sugar, and getting up
wood for the fires, till at length the summer school com-
menced. A young lady, who came with the family from
Ohio, was the teacher, and was a sister of his former lady
teacher. It seemed to be a streak of good fortune that he
had the best of teachers in his childhood which was a great

1 6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

advantage to him, in forming good habits and being genteel
and poHte. A very marked trait of character, in his school
days, was to take the part and defend those who were
abused by unruly schoolmates, or of those who were made
sport of because they were poorly clad or dull of appre-
hension. This made him many warm friends and also
some enemies. So far, in his life he never had the privi-
lege of attending Sunday school, and here there was no
Disciple Church nearer than Andrews, a distance of fifteen
miles, but Solon with his sisters went occasionally to the
Sunday school at the Methodist church two miles west of
their home. Everything seemed to be going on pleasantly,
but dark, sad days were coming.

At this time fever and ague prevailed in this locality to
an alarming extent. His father was afflicted with this
malady more or less for four or five years. Indeed it seemed
as though he could scarcely get acclimated. And this
threw many heavy burdens and much hard labor on Solon
and his mother, but with grit and courage we persevered
and kept things moving indoors and out. His father brought
a large and very gentle grey horse from the old Buckeye
state, and the boy would stand on a box and harness him,
and hitch to a sled and go to the field and get a load
of corn, when his father was sick. When he was eight
years old he would mount this horse and ride four miles for
the doctor or medicine and the mail, and once in this trying
time he rode six miles on a strange road to do an errand
and did not return till quite a while after dark. We were
very uneasy concerning him; thought perhaps he had taken
the wrong road and got lost. We stood outside of the
cabin waiting, watching and listening as anxious parents
will, when at length we heard the sound of horse's hoofs

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1/

and the boy whistling and singing as though darkness and
strange roads were no terror to him. When his father
looked so pale and weak and discouraged he would often
say, "papa just stay in the house and lay down on the bed
and read the papers, we will get along all right with the
out-door work." His father at this tinfie took the ''New
York Tribune,'" edited by Horace Greely, and the "Amer-
ican Agriculturist," edited by Orange Judd. The war of
the rebellion was still going on, and young as the boy was
he could hardly wait till the papers came to hear the news
of the war. And on Sunday morning following that event-
ful day, the i4th of April, 1865, when a neighbor passed
by and informed the family that President Lincoln was
assassinated, he was almost wild with grief and excitement
and exclaimed, "Where will they get a man wise and good
enough to fill his place?" We explained to him that
the vice president would be made president and
fill his place, but perhaps not so efficiently as Mr.
Lincoln himself. The summer passed with its bright
days and dark ones, with its sunshine and showers, and the
father still in poor health, and Solon, the little "man of all
work" did not get to school but a few days; but we still
kept encouraging him, by telling him that, he was growing
so large and strong that when the winter school commenced
he could go every day, though it was a mile and a half
distant. But these plans were laid, and bright hopes
entertained only to be frustrated; for the children had
only gone to the winter school three weeks when a malig-
nant whooping cough broke out in the school and a few
cases proved fatal. There were five children to have this
unpleasant and lingering disease, for another little sister had
come to liye in the family; OUie was her name and is now

1 8 FRCM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the wife of Ingram Merriman. We plainly saw that our
winter's work was "cut out;" and by the time that they had
the disease a week or two, it took the father and mother
and Solon to take care of them. But our little hero was
not discouraged, but kept bright and cheerful and would
sit with his book or paper in his hand and rock the cradle
or hold the baby, and bring in the wood and keep up the
fires, and have a word of cheer for each of the little suf-
ferers. His dear brother, Winfield Scott, took pneumonia
and lay for weeks under the doctor's care, struggling
between life and death. But, at length, asthe winter began
to wane and the sunbeams of early spring came to kiss the
spots of grass where the snow had melted away, life began
to get the mastery, and the monster, Death, had to beat a
hasty retreat. Now, everything began to look brighter and
the home had a more cheerful aspect. The father could
begin to leave the house and go to his outdoor work, asthe
tired and careworn mother was relieved of some of her
labor by a lady friend. Callie Finkenbinder, now Mrs. G.
W. Howenstine. who came to stay a few weeks. One
i>right morning while there was still some snow and ice on
the ground, Mr. Hovenstine went into the barn lot with
liis son, Solon, to load a large walnut log, and just as they
were palling it up with the horses, a neighbor, Bushnel by
name, came up unobserved behind the log, and just at that
instant the chain broke, and the log rolled back with great
force and rapidity over the man, with nothing to break its
force and weight but a heavy fence rail, breaking one of
his legs, crushing his shoulder, and almost mashing his
skull. Mr. Howenstine uttered an awful shriek which
alarmed some of the neighbors, but immediately he and
Solon picked up the mangled man and carried him to the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I9

house. Mr. Howenstine held him by the shoulders and
Solon by the feet; and as they carried him along Solon kept
saying, "Papa, he's a dying; papa he is dying;" but never
flinched or let go his hold till they were met at the porch
by his mother and friend, Callie. Then there was nothing
else to be done but to take this mangled man in the house
among the convalescing children and have his limbs set and
his wounds dressed as soon as a surgeon could be procured.
But, in six or eight hours it was all gone through with and
the man made as comfortable as possible and carried home
on a single bed, and the children did not seem much the
worse, at least none of them took a relapse. These events
or circumstances may seem monotonous to some of my
readers, but I relate them mainly, to portray the sad exper-
iertces which Eld. S. A. Howenstine passed through in the
first decade of his life.

"Where the heart of happy chiklhood

In its purest rapture swells

Is the home where virtue dwells."

CHAPTER III.

REMOVALS — A LARGE FAMILY — INTERESTING EVENINGS.

"Not content, but ever pressing
To the goal of hearts desire."

tFTER the occurence of the events related in the fore-
going chapter, Mr. Hovvenstine became dissatisfied
with the place, on account of so much sickness and
bad luck, and the inconvenience of church and school.
He would often say that the children would never get an edu-
cation as long as we stay here. And from this time
he began to look out for some one who wished to purchase
a farm. In the spring following, he heard of one of his
old neighbors, John Henry, moving to the county. As
soon as they arrived he went to visit them and told them
of his intention of selling out. Mr. Henry came and saw
the farm and was quite well pleased with it, and in a few
weeks came and purchased it. Two years before, Mr.
Howenstine had built a room to the south side of the
cabin with a loft, and a porch to the east. The spring was
opening pleasantly, and men were busy at work on their
farms, and of course Mr. Henry wanted possession of his
farm. Mr. Howenstine failed in getting a house at this
time that would be convenient for him to come and cut his
harvest. So Mr. Henry concluded to move in the south
room of the cabin, where they thought they could live till

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTlNE. 21

after harvest, by putting some of their goods in the corn
house. Sister Henry was a disciple; a member of the old
pioneer church at Sparta, Ohio, and was the mother of ten
children, all living when they moved in with the Howen-
stines'. This brought sixteen children together, as it
were, in one family. The mothers did not lament for
more room or better accommodations, but the lament was
that the church of their choice was fifteen miles away and
how could they bring up their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. But two women's heads put
together always accomplishes something. They wrote a
letter to Brother Shortrage, of Wabash, Ind., asking him
to come and preach for them occasionally at the
school house in their own district. With much joy
they received an answer in the affirmative. And that
summer the first Disciple meeting was held in that vicinity.
Brother Shortrage was a plain, earnest, logical preacher
and drew together a good audience of attentive hearers,
and before the year closed Mr. Henry, his oldest daugh-
ter, and a number of others, heard and obeyed the gospel,
were baptized and arose to walk in newness of life. This
family of twenty persons lived here in perfect peace and
harmony for five months. Of course the children would
sometimes have little difficulties about their playthings, but
they were never taken up and brooded over by the parents
who were day by day teaching their children to live in
peace with all men, and do good to all, especially to the
household of faith.

Sister Henry was a woman who talked much on religious
subjects and could quote almost any passage of scripture
she ever read, and Solon was so interested in these sub-
jects that he would leave the sports and plays, the children

22 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

were engaged in, and come and listen to these talks. The
oldest son of the Henry family was Calvin C. Henry, who
is now proprietor of the South Whitley saw mills. About
the middle of August the Howenstine family removed to
the school, district north of their former home, known as
the Bash school. Here Solon was a schoolmate and became
an intimate friend of Elder Edmund Miller, of whom we
shall have occasion to speak in some following chapter.
From this school he passed into the Washington Center
school and from there, by another removal, to the school
at Mering Corners, which was then being taught by Dr.
Trembly, of Larwell. Here his father purchased what was
known as the "Old Beckley farm" on the northwest corner
of which, the aforesaid school house was located, and went
heavily in debt in order to get a home convenient to school
and church, and for the first time in the history of our
family did the children have the opportunity of attending
Sunday school regularly. There was no church building in
this vicinity when we came to the place; all the public
meetings were held at the school house.

The young people had a literary society in session
when we came to the place. This was very encouraging
to the children. Solon said it reminded him of the "Old
Green Ridge Lyceum." Our home was less than a mile
from the village of Forest or Laud, as the postofficc was
called. Here were places where men and boys would
resort to spend their evenings in talking, smok-'ng, whittling
telling stories and playing games. Now the question was
how to interest these children and especially the boys, the
older of which was fourteen and the younger nine, so
that they would have no desire to go to these places to spend
their evenings. In the first place their father set the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 25.

example of being at home evenings, unless business called
him away.

I would mention here that the father was very short
of means and labored very hard every day in order to send
the children to school, and would do his chores and
errands after it was too dark to work in the fields.

This left most of the evening training and amusing^
of the children to the mother. We would pull out the
old fashioned table, put up the leaves, place a bright
light in the center, and get the children ail around it with
their books and slates, and paper and pencils; and "mamma''
was the lexicographer, the speller, the mathematician, the
historian and almost everything to the children.

In order to get them interested in history and geog-
raphy, she would tell them stories of the Pharaos of
Egypt, the kings of Babylon and Ninevah; of Cyrus, Cam-
bysis and Cyaxarus. Of the great wisdom and eloquence
of Cicero, Damosthenes, Solon, and Lycurgus; and of the
heroic deeds of Washington, Grant, Garfield, Sherman and
many other men and women of talent and valor.

She was their advisor as to their company, the books
that they should read and the games that it was proper to
engage in. Their parents taught them that dancing in
itself, with the sexes separate, is a harmless amusement;
but as it is practiced in this country, and in this age of
the world's history, with late hours, improper clothing and
the commingling of the sexes and also with the use of
strong drinks, and rich viands all combined, it is a great
evil, and often the destruction of young people belonging
to the best of families. And also that gambling whether
it be with cards, horse racing or selling baking powder, &c.y

24

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

up in a different garb, to

is the devils work just dressed
make an innocent appearance.

"With books or work or hoallhful i)l;i> ,
Let my first years be passed:

That I may give tor every day
Some good account at last."

CHAPTER IV.

A NEW LIFE — AN ASSAULT PREVENTED — NEW LIFE IN
CHRIST JESUS.

pI^ROM what has been related of his early traininsr, we
|]fl may infer that Solon A. Howenstine grew up with a
^^ genuine love for home and everything that is good,
pure and lovely. He soon showed by his rapid progress
in his studies, and his ability in penmanship that he was
far above the mediocrity. He took special lessons in pen-
manship from Reuben Houser, of Roanoke, R. H.
Mering, of Laud, and the teacher of penmanship at Val-
paraiso, where he also took a course in other studies.
During several fall terms he attended Normals conducted
by such men as A. J. Douglas, Prof Barnhart, Smith I.
Hunt, and others. He was now grown to manhood, and
was free from all bad habits, polite, pure and intelligent.
Did not use tobacco nor strong drink of any kind: yet he
was one of the most cheerful and jubilant young men in the
neighborhood. He was a charter member and secretary of
the first Good Templar society in the vicinity of Laud. He
was not satisfied with merely knowing how to farm besides his
literary persuits. He said every man, no matter what his
other qualifications may be, ought to know how to do plain
carpenter work. So he worked with a set of competent
carpenters two summers and the intervening winter he

26 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

only time he ever went out to apply for a school. After
he taught his first term the schools applied for him.

About this time there was a great religious excitement
in the neighborhood through a meeting conducted by , a
man by the name of Wood, who is now in California.
The Disciple church here at this time was very weak finan-
cially and otherwise and had but few members. Bro. Lewis
Deems, elder and leading member, had removed to Mans-
field, Ohio, to take care of his superanuated father; and the
church was left without a regular preacher or an efficient
leader, but, a few very faithful members were left, and they
met every Lord's Day to remember the death and suffering
of their dear departed Master, who promised tQ me^^t with
us, as long as two or three will meet for worship. We had
a union Sunday school, conducted by the United Brethren
and Disciples. During the fall of 1875 the United I^reth-
ren held a protracted meeting conducted by Rev. Wood
and took in nearly all the young people in the neighbor-
hood, except S. A. Howenstine and his sisters. Though
his oldest sister (Mrs. Gilespie) rose up and made confes-
sion of her faith in Jesus Christ, but was baptized by Eld.
Hammond, a Christian minister at North Union, and
united with the home church, and for about two years was
the only single member in the little congregation. I will
mention here tliat while this excitement was in full sway,
one da}' when Mr. Howenstine was absent and there was
some company present, a man you might call a fanatic
came to their home claiming to have had a revelation. He
said it had been revealed to him that this family was going
to hell because they were members of the Disciple Church
and would not leave it and join another. This was too

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 2/

much for the young man Solon; though* he was not yet a
church member himself, he could not stand to have such
accusations brought against his parents and sister. The
color rose to his face showing that he was quite angry.
He arose and advanced toward him with open hand ready
to grasp him by the throat and put him out of the door
near which he was standing, when his mother gently stepped
between them and said, "My son you must not do any-
thing in anger and violence. This man is certainly not in
his right mind, and we will pay no attention to what he
says." This was the only time that Solon was ever known
to attempt to make an assault on any person.

The United Brethren built a church in the summer of
I876 a few rods north of the school house where they
formerly held their meetings. After the dedication they
moved the Sunday school supplies over to the church
expecting the scholars and teachers to all follow. But the
Disciples and some otliers did not feel like following these
shepherds. So after a good deal of consulting and plan-
ning and praying, they concluded to organize a Sunday
school of their own. The writer was intrusted with the
superintendence of it. We saw very plainly that we must
have a preacher, and after .some deliberation we secured
the services of Rev. H. M. Lambert, of Andrews, as our
pastor. The first year he preached three sermons per
month for the small sum of fifty dollars, but the work of
the Master prospered under his pastoral care. The church
increased in strength and membership, and as it grew strong
in faith and love and good works, the worthy pastor was
better compensated for his labor; and money and building
material was pledged for a church building in the village of
Forest, one mile from the school house where Bro. Lam-

28 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

bert preached. It was during the ministration of this
faithful preacher, which continued without any intervention
for nearly seven years, that Solon Howenstine and three
of his sisters obeyed the gospel and were added to the
church.

When the church building was finished Rev. Melvin
Gallier, of Mansfield, Ohio, preached the dedicatory ser-
mon and assisted Bro. Lambert in holding a protracted
meeting in the new church. The building of this church
had been in contemplation for over fifteen years and had
been deferred on account of means, and its occupation was
now a season of great rejoicing, and the first protracted
meeting was entered into with a spirit of true devotion and
unwavering faith, which in connection with the preaching
of the pure, plain gospel of Christ would of course bring
success.

Solon Howenstine's conversion was the first fruits of
the meeting. On that memorable night alter he had come
forward and confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
he asked the members of the church to bow in prayer in
his behalf; after which he said he wished to speak a few
words. He addressed his speech to his young companions.
He said: "My friends, if I have ever said or done any
wrong to any of you, I ask you to forgive me. I have
taken a step to night that I have been contemplating for
some time; and, I consider it the grandest, wisest, and
noblest act that I have ever done; and I ask you, my young
companions to go with me, and give your hearts to God,
and take your place in the church, and we will help each
other, and build each other up, and all rejoice together."

There were a number of the young people who heeded
this wise counsel and obeyed the call of the Savior and the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 29

church, which is always "Come." Yes, "the Spirit says
come; and the Bride says come; and let him that heareth
say, come; and let him that is athirst come, and partake
of the water of life freely." Oh the following Lord's Day,
he and several others were baptized in Eel river, three
miles south of Columbia City. Solon was at this time
teaching school at Sugar Grove, where he taught seven
successive terms. He had now commenced a new life in
Christ Jesus; old things had passed away and all things had
become new. But, unlike most of young men when they
come into the church, he did not need to spend his time
and strength in fighting bad habits; he was ready at once to
go to work in the vineyard of the Master. He commenced
work in the prayer meeting, in the Sunday school, in the
family, in the day school, and in society. In the spring
following he taught a term of writing school ancj later in
the summer he began carpenter's work again on a large
barn for a man that was an infidel and was the owner of
quite a library of this class of literature, and with a rough,
jolly set of hands; but he was as jolly as any of them; but
he kept the faith, read his Bible, watched his tongue,
attended prayer meeting, and prayed in secret. Once when
he came home, he said, "Mother, how glad I am that I
obeyed the gospel when I did, I am sure I could not work
among those fellows without being influenced by them, if
it were not for the help of God. I look to Him forstength
in time of weakness." O ! who can tell what a source of
joy and comfort this was to the loving mother, whose
prayers and best wishes followed him in all the walks of
Hfe.

"A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heav-
iness of his mother. "—Proverbs.

CHAPTER V.

TAKING THE CENSUS AND TAKING A WIFE VISITING IN HIS

NATIVE STATE UNITED IN MARRIGE MOVING ON A

FARM.

!N THE summer of 1879, S. A. Howenstine worked
faithfully at his trade till the busy season of work was
^ over; then he attended a six weeks term of Normal
School at Columbia City, and helped his father with the
farm work till the first of November, when his winter
school commenced. This winter he taught writing and
drawing on Tuesday evenings. In the spring following he
made application for an appointment to take the census for
the present year (1880) in Washington township, and being
a good penman and having a good recommendation, he
was the lucky applicant, and during the month of June he
canvassed the township and made out his reports and took
them to the proper authorities; then helped his father cut
and take care of the harvest, and on the first of August he
and his sister, Minnie, started to attend a Normal School
conducted by Rev. A. J. Douglas.

This was the year of the campaign of Garfield and
Arthur, and this young voter took an active part in the
political affairs of the day. He was a Republican from
head to foot; and was a reader of the "Toledo Blade" and
other leading papers. When the Normal closed he came

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 3 1

home and put out a field of wheat and then sold books till
the 1 2th of October when the state election came off. He
was on the board and as soon as the votes were counted
and the reports sent in, he began to make preparation to
go back to his native state on a visit. It was sixteen years
since he had been to the place of his birth — the home of
his childhood. Many things were very much changed,
others remained just as they were; the very yard gate was
there yet where the pig demolished his school dinner, but
the dear old lady who healed his childish sorrows had
departed and gone to her reward. And his dear old
grandma, (his father's mother) had departed; who used to
be nearly always in the kitchen, and when her little grand-
son would come she would have a "turnover" baked and
an egg put on to boil in a tin cup, and a stocking yarn ball
ready for him to play with. And Isaac, his deaf mute
uncle, with whom he used to converse by the finger alpha-
bet, was also gone to his heavenly home But the river,
with its green banks, and the old water saw mill and the
roads and many of the trees seemed just as they were when
he was a boy.

He also went to visit the childhood home of his mother
and found the dear old grandma still living and in a fair
degree of health for one of her age. He was very much
affected in meetingher and always afterward spoke of it with
much feeling. He remained in those parts until the presi-
dential election when he returned home and cast his first
presidential vote for one of the best and greatest of men
that the world ever produced, James A, Garfield; and on
the 15th of November he commenced his fourth term of
school at Sugar Grove. In this year (1881) he selected
from his many lady friends Mi.ss Jennie Merriman as the

32 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

"fairest among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely."
She was the daughter of James Merriman, a thrifty farmer
of Washington township, and was his school mate at several
Normals. She was a lady of refined taste, a bright and
cheerful disposition, and a good housekeeper. She was a
member of the Baptist church and was a quiet exemplary
christian; but in a kw years after this, she, with three other
married ladies, Mesdame? lone Broch, Louisa Bentz and
Hattie Kaufman, united with the Church of Christ at
Forest, at a meeting held by M. L. Blaney.

In the spring of i88i a new two-story brick school
building was let out for construction in the village of Forest
and the school house at the Mering Corners was vacated
and for sale. Solon Howenstine bought it for $130 and
during the summer and fall of the same year he remodeled
It into a comfortable dwelling house which still stands on
its old site. On the 2d day of October, 1881, S. A. How-
enstine and Jennie Merriman were united in marriage at
the bride's home by Rev. P. J, Ward, a Baptist minister
formerly of London, England, in the presence of about
fifty relatives and neighbors. All the morning of this wed-
ding day it poured down torrents of rain. Indeed it looked
as though neither man nor beast could venture out. His
sisters kept joking him about his luck, and told him that he
would have to get a boat and row over to his "bonnie
bride." "Well," said he "I shall not be beat out. I
know Jennie will be there and I am pretty sure the preacher
will be there and I am determined too be there to, and we'll
be married whether anybody else gets there or not." By
that time he folded up his wedding suit and put it in a
valise, put on his common suit and got out his horse and
carriage and started through the unabated rain; but fortun-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 33

ately toward noon the rain drops thinned decreased and
almost stopped; and nearly all the invited guests got there
in time to partake of the well served dinner. The day
following was one of sunshine and beauty, and Solon with his
lovely bride was received at his father's house by a host of
warm friends and relatives. Thus commenced the married
life of these two "pilgrims of the cross," who journeyed
together but twelve short, busy years. For some weeks
following they were busy cleaning and papering their house
and preparing for winter which was fast coming on; and on
the 14th of November Solon began his fifth term of school
at the same old place and boarded at his father's till Thanks-
giving Day, when he gave his scholars a holiday and moved
his wife and her goods and furniture to their new home,
and had his Thanksgiving dinner there in company with the
parents of both families and a few other friends. From
this time on he boarded at home and had his devoted wife
to put up his dinners and minister to his wants, and sympa-
thize with a teacher's trials and cares.

During the winter Solon taught his school, got his own
wood and worked some at selling books. In the spring
when school was closed he again laid hold of his hammer
and saw and went to work at his trade. And through all
this busy life he was a regular attendant and an active
worker in the church and Sunday school and scarcely ever
missed going to the Wednesday evening prayer meeting.

On November 20th, 1882, he commenced his sixth
term of school; and on Saturday the 6th of January, 1883,
his first child was born, and in examining his diary we find
that he did not m-se a day of school or of Sunday school
on account of this Httle event. He was Sunday school super-
intendent and was bright and early in his place, ready to

34 FRCM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

receive congratulations. In the month of April they
moved on the northwest corner of the Mering Corners
known as the old Mering farm, where they lived for nearly
ten years. I will not weary my readers with a detailed
account of what transpired in these busy years. Suffice it
to say that he taught two more terms of school, and kept
his farm and its appurtinances in good shape, his stock
in good condition, and filled many places of trust and
honor in his immediate vicinity.

CHAPTER VI.

GOING INTO THE MINISTRY LICENSED TO PREACH — CALLS

TO NEW FIELDS LETTER FROM MRS. B. E. GILLESPIE.

fHE CHURCH at Forest was in need of a minister,
and they had heard of the good work done in several
?^j places by Rev. S. C. Hummel. Mr. Howenstine,
Solon's father, wrote to him telling him of the condition of
the church and asking him to come and hold a meeting.
About the middle of August, 1889, he came, a perfect
stranger in person but not in reputation, and put up at our
home and commenced a protracted meeting. Though it
was a busy time for farmers, and the weather was very
warm, the meeting was a successful one, there were several
added and the church much revived and strengthened, and
we were so fortunate as to secure his services as pastor for
the ensuing year. He and Elder Solon Howenstine, (for
he was then one of the elders of the church) soon became
very intimate friends and were much together, arranging
plans, for Sunday school and church work. Elder Hummel
asserted that he never visited a Sunday school that was so
interesting and so well conducted as the one at Forest, con-
ducted by brother Solon. He said, ' 'Bro. Solon has energy,
power, and zeal enough to make a success of anything he
undertakes — he ought to be in the ministry instead of
farming,"

36 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

In the spring of 1890 Solon was again appointed to
take the census, but this work was not so congenial to his
taste as it was ten years before, as he was revolving in his
mind the thought of going into the ministry. He had
also become disgusted with the politics of the two old
parties, as neither of them had taken any measures to sup-
press the liquor traffic or saloon privileges which are every
year corrupting and ruining thousands of men and boys,
and beggaring and destroying their families. He said he
could not see how a Christian, not to say a minister, could
conscientiously vote with either party. Elder Solon had
been for some years studying the scriptures by subjects and
dispensations, perhaps not so much with a view of going
into the ministry as of being a competent teacher in the
Sunday school, for, though he was superintendent for nine
years, he, most of the time taught the young people's
class beside. He kept adding volume after volume to his
library, of such books as were helpful to him in his Bible
studies. About this time Rev. Hummel urged and encour-
aged him to go into the ministry and leave the minor duties
to others, which he consented to do, though his wife was
not quite reconciled to his entering into an occupation that
would call him to be from home so much, as she had the
wants of three small children to look after.

Elder Hummel had preached for the Forest congrega-
gation for three years and was about to enter other fields
of labor, and he called on the congregation to take a vote
on giving Brother S. A. Howenstine authority to preach
the gospel in the Church of Christ. The vote was taken
without a dissenting voice. His wife, after a severe strug-
gle, subjugated her will and made it subservient to the will
of Him who said. "Go ye into all the world and preach

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 3/

the gospel to every creature. He that beHeveth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." — Mark xvi, 15-16. His wife then turned her
attention to the work of the church, how she might best
assist her husband in the proclamation of th,e gospel and
the care and oversight of the church.

In the latter part of this year, S, A. Howenstine's
brother-in-law, A. M. Gillespie, also went into the ministry,
and they were co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord.
They both began their work in churches that had gone
down and were scattered and had been without a leader or
shepherd. They went with loving tenderness and gathered
up the scattered sheep and brought them again into the
fold and invited others to come with them and "sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." And the success of
one of these self-sacrificing laborers was the joy of the
other; and when they met they would shake hands as though
their bosoms could scarcely contain the emotions of their
glad hearts. And their conversation and inquiries would
not be, "how much money are you making?" "How
many 5-20 bonds have you got laid awaj'?" Or "how
much fat stock have you got, ready for market?" Ah, no,
they were something like this, "How is the little church
prospering down there ?" "Have you got the poor wan-
dering souls about all gathered in?" "How many new
members have come in ?" "Have you succeeded in organ-
izing a Sunday school?" 'Ts there good material for
church and Sunday school officers?" Such questions as
the above were what engrossed their attention and engaged
their minds, and what subjects would be most suitable to
present to these reclaimed members and new born babes,
that they might grow and thrive on the "sincere milk ot

38 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the word." But their labors were not long in the same
place, and they met less frequently, but with increased
love and friendship. Elder Howenstine had now a call to
preach at Salem, in Kosciusco county, Ind., which, after
he had gone there, and seen the place and got acquainted
with the members, he accepted. Though prior to this he
had made the acquaintance of some of the Duacleberger
brothers, who are a "family of preachers" in that locality.
If the writer has been correctly informed there are four
brothers preaching at the present time; three of whom are
located in western states. When Elder Howenstine went
out to these places to work in the Master's vineyard he
always kept Paul's charge to Timothy before his mind. "I
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ. * * * Preach the word; be instant in season
and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-
suffering and doctrine."

"Work, for the night is coming

Work through the sunny noon,
Fill brightest hours with labor

Rest comes sure and soon."

LETTER FROM MRS. B. E. GILLESPIE.

DuNFEE, November 14th, 1890.
My Dem BrotJier Solon :

As this is my thirty- second birthday, I thought I
could spend it in no better way than to write you a letter
of encouragement. As you and Arthur have both made
up your minds to give the remainder of your lives to the
ministry, I feel like telling you how my heart rejoices to
know that I have a brother and a companion that are will-
ing to devote their lives to the service of Christ, by preach-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 39

ing His glorious gospel to a lost and dying world. I look
upon this act of enlistment as being braver than that of
any knight, for who has such a captain as the Lord Jesus
Christ to give orders in time of battle, or who has given
his soldiers such a complete armour? Who has given the
promise of so rich a reward, or what captain has said, "I
will never leave nor forsake you." 0, may you be among
the bravest of soldiers in the army of the Lord; may you
keep the blood-stained banner of King Emanuel floating
high above your comrades, that they may see that you are
pointing them to victory. My prayer shall always be that
you may succeed in persuading many to enlist in the grand
army of the church of Christ our leader. To be sure there
will be many hard battles to fight and many footsore marches
to overtake the enemy. But I believe that you have enough
courage and perseverance, through the sustaining grace of
the Master, though it cost your life, to go through this
great warfare and come out victorious on the peaceful shore
of deliverance. You know many of our brave "boys in
blue" gave their lives that we might enjoy peace and liberty;
and much more ought we to be willing to give our lives if
need be, to set free the slaves of sin. There will be many
bars to be broken, many chains to be severed, many a
prison to unlock.

But fear not, for he who said, "Go into all the world
and preach the gospel," is able to help you, to strengthen
you for every duty he has given you to perform. O, may
you and Arthur always walk hand in hand, helping each
other, strengthening the weak points in each othei^ lives;
and in your companionship in the work of the Lord, com-
fort each other by the great and precious promises con-
tained in the word of God. You have everything to

40 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

encourage you, for when God is for us, who can be against
us, for he causeth us to triumph in Christ." Then you
have our loving and devoted mother to give you words of
cheer, comfort and advice, and a kind and affectionate com-
panion to walk by your side as a helpmate in your pastoral
work, and the prayers and best wishes of a father, brothers
and sisters, and if need be a host of dear friends who are
ready to say, "go on, God bless you in your grand work."
From your affectionate sister,

Mrs. B. E. Gillespie.

-=o§^^|o°-

CHAPTER VII.

PASTORAL WORK TALKS WITH LABORING MEN CHRISt's

WORK ON EARTH A VISIT TO A SICK LADY — SICKNESS

AMONG THE OLD PEOPLE A DEAR FRIEND DEPARTED.

"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but
of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away."— 1 Peter V, 3-3-4.

^HE CHURCH at Salem was composed of members
who were nearly all intelligent farmers, and lived in
^^ rural districts, and were only in moderate circum-
stances and it was with some of them as our Lord pre-
dicted when he said to his disciples, "the poor ye have
always with you; but me ye have not always. " On account
of their lack of meansthey only secured Elder Howenstine's
services one-fourth of his time. And these visits, though
but monthly, were very important and interesting to him,
and he made thorough preparation for them, and when the
time came, he went full of the Holy Ghost and of power,
and the congregation felt its effect. The people soon
began to say, "what manner of man is this; we never had
a preacher that preached with such power; it seems almost
irresistible — and his yisits, they are so consoling and cheer-

42 ^FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

ing, and it seems he can adapt himself to the circumstances
of almost anyone." This was true, for he had "been
there" himself. When, in his walks in visiting from house
to house, he came to a man who was ditching he would
take hold of his hard muck-stained hand and shake it as
though his heart was in it, and begin to talk about the
labor, the soil, the depth, the fall, the tile, and the benefit
of ditching these low boggy lands, &c. Then he would
tell him about the meeting and ask him of his prospects of
heaven. He would tell him that he had done many
a day's ditching and knew just how tired a man was when
he had finished a day's shoveling, remarking that one
nearly always feels too tired to go to night meetings under
these circumstances. Then he would take his leave by
a hearty shake of the hand and a cordial "God bless you."

The next person he came to was a man in the woods
chopping cord wood and he accosted him as he did the
man that was ditching, telling him "that the most wood
that he ever cut and put up in a day was three cords, but
it is hard work and takes persevering early and late to get
that much done."

From this man he learned that he had a large family
to support and his wife was lying ill with a lingering dis-
ease, and he was obliged to work every day to keep the
"wolf from the door." The elder expressed his warmest
sympathy and told him that he would call and visit them
on Sunday afternoon when he could be at home; and told
him that he was having meeting at the Salem church now,
and said, "when your family gets well we would be be glad-
to see you all with u.=."

When John sent his disciples to Christ to find out
whether he was indeed the Messiah, Jesus told them to go-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 43

and tell John that the deaf hear, and the blind are made to
see, the lame to walk and the poor have the gospel preached
unto them. We do not profess to heal the infirmities of
the body; but we do preach the gospel to the poor, the
disconsolate and the broken-hearted and it shan't cost them
anything either. So the day was passed walking over hill
and field and woodland, making many calls and acquain-
tances. Evening came and found Elder Howenstine early
in the little church, which was being rapidly filled at an
early hour, and he was just as busy as he used to be when
he was a teacher in the school room; going and speaking
to this one, and that one, and inviting them up to the front
where they could see and hear better, and his face all aglow
v/ith the love of Jesus welling up from the heart, selecting
songs and calling on members to speak or pray till the
hour for preaching arrived; then he stepped up into the
pulpit and who did he see pretty well to the front but the
wood chopper and the man that was ditching. And after
the singing of another song and a fervent prayer he preached
from the 9th chapter, 4th verse of St. John's gospel. He
discoursed on, how Jesus Christ came to this world, not as
and idle pleasure seeker, or to go hunting or fishing and
have a good time, but he was about his Father's business
when he was but twelve years old, and had acquired so
much knowledge that he confounded the lawyers and doc-
tors with his questions and His wisdom, and between that
time and his thirtieth year he learned and worked at the
carpenter's trade, and I dare say that he was a model work-
man in his time. From that time forward after going to
Jordan and being baptized of John and the Holy Ghost as
a dove alighting and abiding on Him, and a voice from
heaven saying, "this is my beloved Son in whom I

44 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

am well pleased."' His work was that of preaching, teach-
ing and working miracles.

Then he made the the application to his hearers.
He said that every man, woman and child has a work to
do, and it is our business, to the best of our ability, to find out
what that work is, and getatit; for the night cometh when no
man can work. He said further, that there is one work that
all alike must do, whether rich or poor, high or low, black or
white, if we want to be saved; and that is, that we must hear
the word of God — the gospel, and believe on His son Jesus
Christ, repent of our sins, confess his name, and be baptized
in his name and arise to walk in the newness of life. He said
from that time on the work that the Lord required of us
differs according to circumstances; that it was not required
of the poor man that chops wood all day to support his
family and then does his chores after night, to read his
Bible as much as that old brother who is surrounded with
wealth and affluence and can lean back in his easy chair and
lay up his feet higher than his head. Neither is it required
of the man that has been ditching — shoveling mud until
every muscle in his body is tired and sore, to go to the
week day evening pra)'er meeting as often as the man who
is at leisure and has a horse and carriage to take him where
he wants to go. Nor is it required of the poor widow who
comes to church in her faded calico dress, to pay as much
as the woman in her velvet and silk, and glittering with
jewelry; but let every one do the very best he can in his
circumstances. That is all that God requires of any one.

At the conclusion of the services the elder made his
way down the aisle to those who had come in late, and he
had not spoken to before preaching. He asked the man
he had met in the afternoon of the condition of his

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 45

sick wife. "O !" he said, "she is feeling much better. I
went home a trifle earlier this evening, and sat down by the
bed and talked to her awhile. I told her of our chat in the
woods and about the meeting, and that you were coming
to visit us to-morrow afternoon and it cheered her up so
much that she seemed to forget she was sick. She told
me to hurry and do my chores and eat my supper and go
to church, that she was feeling so much better that she
could stay with the children to-night." Elder Howenstine
had shortly before told the man that he did not claim to
heal the infirmities of the body, but what a soothing and
healing influence those words of love and sympathy had on
this afflicted woman.

On Lord's day he preached on "The Foundation of the
Church," and gave a short talk to the Sunday school from
notes that he put on the blackboard in the morning, went
home with a brother with whom he had promised to take
dinner, and then made his visit to the home of the sick
lady according to promise. He talked to her of the trials
and sufferings of this life, and of the love of Jesus, and the
sacrifice he made to complete the plan of salvation, so that
we might all be heirs to the inheritance that he has gone
to prepare for us. And, after he had read an appropriate
selection of scripture he bowed and offered a prayer that
was full of sympathetic feeling and tender emotion in
behalf of this afflicted family. He then took leave of
them, kindly inviting them to come to church when they
got able.

I give these instances or examples that I have gath-
ered from conversation and from his diaries merely to exem-
pHfyhis manner of pastoral work. His visits and pastoral
work was on the same line at all his preaching places. In

^6 FROM THE CRADLK TO THE GRAVE,

looking over his diary for this year (1892) we see that when
he went to North Union to, preach he visited and had
prayer with Sister Ellen Mering and her aged mother-in-
law, and Sister Bechtel, who were unable to come to church.
He told me that at the beginning of this year he made out
a list of the names of all the members of the several con-
gregations where he preached and carried them in his day
book and if anyone was missing from church he made
inquiry about it; and if they were sick he made it his busi-
ness to go and visit them. If they had trouble or difficulty
with a brother or neighbor and was absent on that account
he would go and talk to them, laying before them the sin-
fulness of holding spite and brooding over wrongs that can
be made right in a few minutes if the persons will have the
Christ-like humility to go and ask forgiveness of those
whom they have wronged; or kindly talk the matter over
with those who may have insulted or injured you. It only
makes matters worse, to stay away from church and neg-
lect your christian duties because you have trouble. It is
also recorded in his diary that every time he went to Beach
Grove to preach for four successive months he called at
Sister Wilson's in Roanoke, who was going down with
consumption and ministered to her spiritual wants, break-
ing bread, reading God's word, exortation, and prayer. He
visited and ministered in like manner in the same congre-
gation, to Sister Jobs who was laying sick at the same time
and died a few days prior to the death of Sister Wilson.
In the Christ-Hke ministration to the sick, Elder Howen-
stine's wife was quite often by his side, to smooth down
the rough places in the pathway of the weary pilgrim to

"That undiscovered country from whose bourne
No traveler returns."

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 47

Sister Wilson requested Elder Howenstine to preach
her funeral sermon, but when the "Messenger on the pale
horse" came to her, the elder was attending the meeting
at Bethany Park, and Elder Gillespie officiated in his place.
In conversation with him after he returned, he remarked
that all the exercises at the Bethany Assembly were so
interesting, so strengthening, and soul cheering, and the
christian society so elevating that he desired to go there
every year as long as he lived. But most unexpectedly to
us all, this proved to be his last visit to Bethany. When
the assembly met the next year he was somewhat indis-
posed, the bacterial and malarial poison that terminated his
existence was already in his system, stealthily bringing
about conditions that baffled the skill of able physicians.
There was an instance that he related of solemn and majes-
tic entertainment during this, his last visit to Bethany Park
that sank deeply into his heart. It was Old Father Jame-
son, of Indianapolis, with his long gray hair flowing down
upon his shoulders and leaning upon his staff as an old
patriarch blessing his children, and singing with angelic
sweetness, some of the songs of his own composition. He
said, 'T never expect to see him again till I meet him
in that 'Sweet bye and bye, ' for he is getting so old and
frail." But little did we think that they would meet so
soon; this earth holds them no more.

During the following winter there was much sickness
among the old people. An old lady by the name of Kemp
who was eighty-three years of age, took very sick — not
expected to live, ami she had never obeyed the gospel, but
one day she expressed a desire to be baptized by immer-
sion if it could be conveniently done. Elder Howenstine
was absent, but word was sent to Elder Gillespie who re-

48 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

sided not far distant. He came with his wife and a few of
the members of the Saturn congregation, and made prep-
aration— taking the chill off the water by putting in hot
rock, and using the wind pump tank for a baptistry. It
was indeed a beautiful sight, to see such an aged lady buried
with Christ in baptism and come out of the water rejoicing
as she did.

The next Lord's day was Elder Howenstine's time to
preach at Saturn, and in the afternoon, he, with a few of
the members, took the emblems and went to Sister Kemp's
home and had communion service; and it was a time of
much rejoicing in the Lord.

In the latter part of January, Jane Henry, another
aged sister, was lying at the point of death, and Elder
Howenstine got word that it was her request that some of
the church members should come and hold communion
service with her. But she resided ten miles away and it
was very cold and several members of the home church
were dangerously ill; but difficulties seldom prevented
Elder Howenstine from doing what he considered his duty.
So he procured a double seated sleigh and took his mother
and youngest sister and her lady friend, Sister Loucetta
Chamberlin, and went notwithstanding the many hindrances.
We found the sister very sick indeed, but she was much
rejoiced because of our coming. Elder Howenstine talked
to her as much as was proper in her weak condition. He
read the 14th chapter of St. John's gospel, then he called
on his mother to offer prayer, the girls lead the singing;
then the communion was attended to in a manner that was
impressive, solemn and beautiful. After all had partici-
pated Sister Henry said, ' 'now I am ready to die, or live
just as the Lord wills." After partaking of a warm refresh-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 49

ing supper served by Mrs. Stahl, their daughter, and refill-
ing our hot water jugs, we took our leave, and after pass-
ing over sheets of screaking snow for many a mile, we
arrived at home by i o'clock in the morning, feeling that we
had done our duty as best we could. But strange to tell:
both these old sisters are alive and well at this writing, while
the dear brother, who so lovingly ministered to their spir-
itual wants, has crossed the Jordan, and methinks is beck-
oning for them to come.

A few days after this occurred the death of Sister
Alice White, a very intimate friend of Elder Howenstine-
and his wife. The elder assisted Elder Taylor in conduct-
ing the funeral services at the Church of Christ in Laud.
A short poem written in memory of her sweet life will be
found on a subsequent page.

CHAPTER VIII.

A MEETING UNEXPECTEDLY PROTRACTED — AN INVITATION TO

THE PENITENT HOME STUDY AND MAP-DRAWING

CHANGES IN CONTEMPLATION POSSIBLE TO CONTROL

TEMPER.

fOUR WEEKS had passed away, and the time had
come for Elder Howenstine to efo to his Salem
^ appointment. Never for a wakeful hour was this
little congregation and its surroundings out of his mind
since his last visit. Day by day their wants were car-
ried up to the throne of the Most High; he felt that there
was a great work to do in that place and he relied on
God alone for wisdom and strength to accomplish it.
He went to Sidney on the train and walked to Brother
Idels, took supper, and went to the church and preached
on Saturday night with much zeal and enthusiasm.
Lord's day was missionary day, and he preached a mis-
sionary sermon; showing that when our hearts are full
and overflowing with the love of God, that we are anxious
to give this glorious gospel to others, for "he who loves
God the most, loves not man the less." After preaching, a
collection was taken up for missions, amounting to ^5.50;
the fifty cents vas Elder Howenstine's part of the contri-
bution, and was one-tenth of his monthly salary at that
place. I heard him say at one time that he always pros-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 5 1

pered better when he gave one-tenth of his income, as
they did in olden times, than when he gave less. That
day after dining with Brother Cresser, he made several calls
entreating and persuading the people to come and hear the
gospel. He told the sisters that if he found out that any-
one staid at home from church to cook a good dinner for
him, he would not go there; he said he would rather just
sit down to bread and butter and have them all at church.

That night he went to the church with his heart over-
flowing with the love of God and sympathy and pity for
poor fallen man, and preached from the subject: "What
must I do to inherit eternal life?" and expected to return
home the next day. At the close of the sermon he gave
the invitation to any who had gone back to the world, or
grown cold in the service of the Lord, or become discour-
aged by the way. and to any that were burdened with sin,
and were serving the devil, being led captive by his will,
and told them that as their service continued they would
find him a harder master than Legree. And with much
earnestness did he exhort them to put off the old body of
sin, and be "renewed in the spirit of their mind," and put
on the new man which, after God is created in righteous-
ness and true holiness; and obey the commandments of the
Lord Jesus Christ that they may have a right to the tree of
life and enter through the gates into the city. And to his
surprise and great joy, seven, who had been pierced to their
heart by the sword of the spirit, came forward and made
confession of that worthy Name.

This was a call for the meeting to continue, and it did
continue from day to day, till the seating capacity of the
house was entirely inadequate to the number that came;
though it was in the month of March and the roads were

52 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

in a terrible conditionrfor traveling. He wrote home almost
every day to his wife, of his success in the gospel through
the Lord Jesus Christ; till her heart got so full, that she
put her little ones in the care of his sister, Ella, and went
to share his labor and joy.

On the 1st day of April, Elder Howenstine closed the
meeting with forty-seven additions, the time it continued
was but ten days. The week-day meetings were mostly
occupied by speaking, prayer, song and praise service.
Elder Howenstine had a peculiar way of drawing a speech
or testimony from nearly every person in the congregation.
When the person speaking would sit down, he would say,
"Now, another. Who'll be the next to speak a word for
Jesus ? He that confesseth me before men, him will I con-
fess before my Father in Heaven. Rise right up, if it is
but a word. We are not heard for our much speaking;
God looks at the heart, to see whether we are willing to
try to work in his vineyard," &c.

Almost every month when the elder returned to fill his
appointments, there were some who came forward and con-
fessed the Saviour, and the older members began to feel as
did the deacons at the Water Beach church in England,
when young Spurgeon was their pastor; that he was becom-
ing too great a preacher, they could not expect to keep
him. On the i8th of April, when he returned home from
his Salem oppointment, he met Elder Hummel, the pastor
of the home church, at the station, who informed him that
he had baptized his oldest daughter, Carrie, that morning,
who was then in her tenth year.

"Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth." — Prov.

During this summer Elder Howenstine had three
preaching places, viz.: Salem, Saturn and North Union.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOVVENSTINE. 53

This left him with one Lord's day unoccupied, which he
mostly spent at the home church, often filling the pulpit
in the absence of the regular preacher. He still lived on
the farm, but he kept a hired man and spent most of his
time in study and drawing maps and charts, which he
painted up in colors beautifully. These maps and charts
he used in his lectures and Sunday school work. The map
of Paul's missionary travels, the tabernacle and the lectures
that accompanied them were very interesting. Then he
had another chart of his own niake, illustrating how to
read the Bible. And he had calls in many places by dif-
ferent denominations to lecture from these maps and charts.
One evening after his lecture, on "How to read the Bible,"
a lady came to him and said, "I always thought I was a
great Bible reader, but I have learned more about the Bible
to-night than I ever kneyv. I know how to read the Bible
now, and I am going to go home and read it,"

This was the summer of 1892 and there was some
excitement over the Harrison and Cleveland campaign, but
it was not materially disturbing church work. By this time
the Prohibition movement was pretty well defined in all
the churches, and it was known by the people of the
county that Elder Howenstine did not vote or work with
either of the old parties any more, and when the Prohibi-
tion convention met in Columbia City they gave him the
nomination for representative, and Harris Kaufman, a
young teacher who was boarding with Elder Howenstine,
was nominated for surveyor. Thus, we see that the Httle
farm house at the corners was the home of two aspiring
candidates. It was expected that the elder would go out
and make some political speeches and help to bear the cam-
paign expenses, but he did neither one, and yet he ran far

54 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

ahead of his ticket. During the summer Elder Howenstine
made several visits to J. V. Updike, the great evangelist,
who then resided in Fort Wayne and took instructions in
evangelistic work, and succeeded in getting him to come to
the home church at Forest and deliver some of his popular
lectures. He also was intimate and had frequent corres-
pondence with Rev. B. C. Black, formerly of Victoria, Aus-
tralia, and at present state evangelist of Ohio.

Elder Howenstine was now contemplating the pro-
priety of making a public sale, and moving to town and
settling down to the ministry for life; for his theory was
this, "never undertake more work than you can do prop-
erly." And while he was trying with all his might and
power to make a grand success of his ministerial work, he
was continually mortified on account of the way things
were going on the farm. He always aimed to raise the
best crops that could be produced from the kind of soil he
was tilling; and he actually raised as much wheat from ten
acres as some of his neighbors did from twenty: and so he
aimed to do, in everything he undertook. He bred the
best sheep, pigs and cattle, and kept no more than he could
keep in good salable condition. His motto was "quick
sales and as much profit as you can get." He would have
his pigs as large at six or eight months old as most people
do at a year old. And with all this work and business he
always seemed to have time to go to the Wednesday even-
ing prayer meeting; and his work there was characterized
with the same zeal and energy that pervaded all
his transactions in life. He had many trials and vexatious
circumstances to contend with but he was not a pessimist;
he looked upon all these little grievances as tests of ones
faith and patience, and believed that our gold shines all the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 5$

brighter for being tried in fire He was not always on the
top of the Delectable mountains, yet I never knew him to
be in the slough of despond.

I cannot forbear giving here a little instance of a very
trying, yet ludicrous nature. He had a very fine Durham
cow that was quite gentle to milk, but once in a great while
she would kick as quick as lightning, and as wicked as
satan. As he had only three monthly appointments this
year, he was frequently at home on the fourth Sunday of
the month. At this time the hired man would go to spend
Sunday at home and would seldom return till Monday morn-
ing. On one of those occasions the elder prepared to do
the milking. As he was going away to lecture that even-
ing he thought he would not take the trouble to change
clothes; so he tied on one of his wife's kitchen aprons and,
pail in hand, started to the barn lot; and when sitting on
his stool and milking with his ordinary dispatch, the slick-
skinned "bovine" gave, what we may call her "occasional
kick," sending the elder backward sprawling on the ground,
stool, pail and all, with the rich foaming fluid all bespattered
over his best Sunday suit. He soon recovered from the
horizontal and assumed the erect position, picked up his
pail, and started toward the house saying, "why Boss you
ought to be ashamed to treat a preacher in that kind of
style." When he reached the yard gate, he met his hired
man who had unexpectedly returned, when he laughingly
remarked, after relating what had happened, "if I was just
a 'winter christian' I would have lost my religion."

A young man who helped him shear his sheep,
remarked to me, that when the sheep would kick and strug-
gle and throw the wool into the dirt, he thought no one
could help but swear or scold, but Elder Howenstine would

56 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

just laugh. So we see that it is possible for a person even
with a quick nervous temperament, to acquire complete
control over his temper, and go through life as though
there were no dark storm clouds that pass between us and
eternal sunshine. But these worrying circumstances made
him yearn to throw off the yoke of farm labor and farm
management, and wear only the "yoke of preaching the
gospel," and no other armour but the "armour of faith."
He felt that, he that has enlisted as a soldier, under the
blood stained banner of Jesus Christ must not entangle
himself with the things of this world; and "he that putteth
his hand to the plow must not look back."
"Unto the time that is no more,
For those who stand on heaven's floor
Peace ! Look not back but straight before."

CHAPTER IX.

LEAVING THE FARM — PARTING WITH WHAT IS DEAR TO US —
MOVING TO THE CITY— A GOOD SERMON APPRECIATED.

fHE SUN was sinking in the western horizon, shed-
ding its soft rays of azure Hght upon the httle farm
.^ house at the Mering Corners, this chilly November
evening; and many feet had trodden the grounds of the
surrounding lawn and barn lot, for, the sale was over,
and men that had come from far and near were crowding
around the eastern porch signing notes and changing
money, and preparing to take away the property they had
purchased. They all seemed happy and good natured
because their stomachs were not gnawed by the pangs of
hunger, for a plentiful dinner had been served in the house
and a lunch, consisting of nine dozen rusks and three
bushel baskets full of spread bread and slices of meat and
plenty of hot coffee was served out of doors. As the
women of the neighborhood all wanted to come to the sale
Mrs. Howenstine invited the Aid Society to come and sew
her carpet rags and tack some comforters, and several ladies
fropi other localities helped to make up the merry group,
among whom were Mrs. Dr. Ferguson, of Fort Wayne;
Mrs. Wm. Kelsey, Mrs. Hatfield, and others.

Before making the sale Elder Howenstine thought his
property so small that it would not be worth while to make
a public sale, and had already disposed of some articles.

58 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

when Rev. J. V. Updike and others advised him to buy-
property in Fort Wayne and move there. This put him
under the necessity of selling off everything but his house-
hold goods and library; and accordingly the sale was adver-
tised and his brother-in-law, J. W. Kaufman, engaged as
auctioneer and E. Swan as clerk. When the sale was over
and the list counted up, to the elder's surprise it amounted
to nearly one thousand dollars. Several of his best sheep
brought twenty-five dollars a head; the short horned Dur-
ham, that cared nothing for the preacher's "best suit,"
brought forty-five dollars; the common cows brought from
twenty-five to thirty dollars. His farm implements which
he had used nine or ten years had been so well cared for
and repainted that they sold almost like new ones. "To
him that hath, it shall be given, and to him that hath not,
it shall be taken away, even that he hath." I think this
scripture relates to the care we give to what is committed
to us, whether in temporal, mental or spiritual things. But
soon came the sad time of parting with the domestic ani-
mals, to which the family were so much attached. There
was more sorrow and sighing in the little farm house at the
corners, than there was in the St. Clair mansion, when
Uncle Tom and the other servants were marched away in
care of the slave driver.

The first few days after the sale were busy ones, occu-
pied in packing up and preparing to move, and settling up
things in general. Then a few days m.ore were spent in
visiting some friends and neighbors; and on the 4th of No-
vember Elder Howenstine and family, with his brother and
sisters and their families, all met at the home of their
parents and had a most enjoyable gathering. The men
cut and hauled winter wood for their father, the women

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 59

cooked and visited, and their children romped and played
about the house and yard till every thing resounded with
joy. At three o'clock Father Howenstine went to the
station and brought Rev. Updike, who had an appointment
to lecture at the Christian church that night. At 4 o'clock
work was abandoned and a merry conversation and an
enjoyable supper was the order of the evening until the
time arrived, to go the lecture, which was a most interest-
ing and entertaining feast for the mind. But who of all this
happy group of brothers and sisters, parents, children and
grand-children, ever once thought that this was the last
time, in this earth life, that this happy and loving family
would ever all meet together in the capacity of a family
reunion? Who thought that the "keystone of the arch,''
the elder brother, the oldest son, the first born, the first
grown to manhood, the first in the ministry, the husband
of a devoted wife, the father of three precious little girls,
and the advisor and counsellor, even of his parents, the
pride and joy of all, was never to be at one of these family
gatherings again ?

On the day following this friendly meeting, and pleas-
ant and profitably spent evening. Elder Howenstine got his
father's horse and buggy and took Rev, Updike to Colum-
bia City to hear John Wannamaker speak. This was one
of the pleasant days that he spent in company with this
able evangelist; whom he always esteemed as a father in
the ministry and a counsellor in things of minor importance.
On Thursday, November loth, Elder Howenstine removed
to Fort Wayne, No. i, corner Lincoln street and Indiana
avenue. The night previous he preached in Forest at the
home church, then came home and worked till [ i o'clock
at night, and then got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and

60 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

began to help load the goods. They got started at 6 o'clock
that morning and arrived at their new home at i o'clock
in the afternoon. They unloaded the wagons, put up a
stove, had a warm dinner, set up the bed steads and
unpacked and arranged the bedding, and then all went
down to the Christian church to hear Rev. Updike preach-
The next day was spent in fixing up things to live, and be
happy. On Saturday morning before going to his appoint-
ment Elder Howenstine made a call to Rev. Updike's
home. He took him to the depot and remained till the
train started.

While at his Saturn appointment he received a letter
from Elder Edmund Miller, his old schoolmate who had
been a preacher in the "Church of God" for twelve or fif-
teen years, stating that he desired to join the Christian
church as an active minister, and wished to be received
into fellowship at the church in Forest. When Elder
Howenstine returned to Fort Wayne he laid the matter
before Brother Updike, who answered, "God bless him?
if he can preach the doctrine taught by Christ and his
apostles, take him in." Accordingly he wrote to Elder
Miller to set a time and he would meet him at the dear old
home church at Forest. In this week he helped Brother
Updike to revise the church book, and the board appointed
him collector.

After filling his Salem appointment he commenced a
protracted meeting at Saturn. Around this church and
congregation, there clustered almost as many endearments
as at the old home church. Here lived his oldest sister
and her husband, his yoke fellow in the ministry. At their
cozy home he felt as free and easy as he did at his own,
and could sit down and tell his joys and sorrows and hopes

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 6 1

and fears. They could talk over their trials and labors,
and lay their plan? for church work, in order to accom-
plish the best possible results in the work of the Mas-
ter. He held the meeting ten or twelve days and had
five additions, and it was said by the members that it was
the best meeting they ever had. The day-meetings were
unexceptionally good. Members that had never been
known to speak in church, would rise up and speak as
though their tongues were loosed. He would as a rule
have social exercises for half an hour before preaching and
perhaps two or three prayers after -preaching. During these
meetings on Wednesday evening, December 7th, by pre-
vious arrangements he met Elder Miller at the Christian
Church at Forest, and preached a powerful sermon on
"Loyalty to Christ," showing that we must speak as the
oracles of God speak, or forever be jsilent; afterward call-
ing on Bro. Miller to speak.

Bro. Miller spoke at some length, stating his reasons
for leaving the "Church of God," after which he was given
the hand of fellowship as a minister in the Church of Christ.
In a short time afterward the church hired him as their
pastor, for half his time. The next morning Brother Jacob
Raber, the Sunday school superintendent, met Elder How-
enstine and said : "Brother Howenstine that sermon last
night just suited me; it was worth a dollar to me," and he
reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar and gave it to
him. Elder Miller went with him to Saturn and remained
a few days assisting in the meeting, and before its close
Elder Howenstine had a call to preach the funeral discourse
of Sister Sarah Chamberlain, widow of the late Joshua
Chamberlain, treasurer of Whitley county. The subject of
the discourse was, "She hath done what she could." He

62 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

spoke briefly of her sweet and beautiful life as a wife,
mother, neighbor, church member, and Sunday school
worker. He exhorted her children to follow her pious and
loving example, and not to think of her only as sleeping
in the grave but as watching over her loved ones from the
paradise of God. He also spoke of the sweet council and
good advice she had given him in his youthful days, and
said she had gone beyond the portals of time to a blissful
eternity. We can not, we would not call her back, but if
we liye faithful and loyal to God we can go to her, and enjoy
her society in the land of redeemed spirits.

"Alas ! her form is laid away

In chilling darkness of the grave.

Her spirit guides my wandering feet ;

Its presence seems to touch my heart,
And whisper that we soon shall meet."

And how soon he did follow this beloved sister to that
sweet land of rest, that blessed Eden shore,

"Where the wicked cease from troubling
And the weary are at rest."

CHAPTER X.

A WONDERFUL MEETING-REINFORCEMENTS-LAST VISIT TO THE
OLD HOME CHURCH — LETTER FROM THE ELDER TO HIS
PARENTS.

tLDER HO WENSTINE had finished his second year at
Saturn and hired for one half of his time at Little River
^ . and the other half at Salem. This was the begin-
ning of his third year at Salem and the church had grown
in strength and numbers and was very near and dear to his
heart. He felt that he was a father in the gospel to many
of them, and they had grown under his pastoral care to be
strong men and women in Christ; and had entwined them-
selves into his affections more than he was aware of till the
time for separation came. He and his wife and children
were invited to come to Salem on the 24th of December to
attend a Christmas entertainment and preach over Lord's
day. At the close of the exercise the pastor and his wife
were made the recipients of a beautiful hand made bed
quilt, and the little ones were remembered in smaller gifts.
At this time Elder Gillespie was finishing up his year's
work at Little River with a protracted meeting, and Elder
Howenstine went from Salem to help him. While
engaged in this work he received an invitation to bring his
family and come to Saturn. When this order was obeyed
Ihe Aid Society presented to them a most lovely patch-
work quilt, of artistic design. These gifts from the two

64 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

congregations were tokens of the high esteem in which
their beloved pastor was held, and they were most grate-
fully received and acknowledged, and will be long looked
upon as the tokens of love and affection.

In the latter part of January, 1893, Elder Howenstihe
started to his Salem appointment and stopped off a few
days at the home church and assisted Elder Miller in a
very successful meeting he was holding at that place. He
continued his meeting at Salam till the 6th of February
with good results. The remaining part of the month, he
was at home during the week, attending Rev. Updike's
meetings in Fort Wayne, and during the rough March
weather he was at home studying and fixing up his lots and
property, till on the 29th Rev. Updike and a Brother Col-
lin from Payne, O., came over to see him about holding a
meeting in Payne, to which he gave his consent and went
the following day, March 30th. On arriving he visited
the members, as was his custom in going into a new place,
in order to ascertain the condition of the church and take
the diagnosis of its ailments. He found the church in a
dissected and scattered condition but with a warm-hearted,
intelligent membership. As was his plan of work in cases
of this kind, he commenced building and constructing,
until he had all the material and various parts in their
proper places^ and peace and harmony prevailed througout
the congregation. Then he would set his batteries in
range for the world, for sin and its father, the devil, and
pour in a flood of gospel fire that would make the Felixes
tremble and say "Almost thou persuadest me to be a
christian;" or cry out, as the guilty Jews did under the fire
of Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost, "Men and
brethren what must we do ?" Then would come thunder-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 65

ing back the answer, "repent, turn away irom your sins,
from the evil of your way, confess his name and be bap-
tized for the remission of sins — that your sins and trans-
gressions may be blotted out, or canceled, when the time
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."
In examining his diary we see that the meeting continued
on this line from day to day, and at almost every service
there were some reclaimed and others confessed Christ.
And after the meeting had continued ten or twelve days,
and some thirty or forty had come into the church, Rev.
Updike and Hackelman, the singing evangelist, came to
assist. The interest of the meeting was raised to such a
pitch that the seating capacity of the house was inadequate
to the crowds that came together. They remained five
days, during which time there still continued to be a great
ingathering, not only from the world, but from other
churches represented in the town, the Catholics not excepted.
There was not a day from the time the meeting fairly started
that there was not baptizing done, ranging from two to fif-
teen each day. The superintendent of the public schools
and a class leader in the U. B. church were among the
number of the baptized. After Rev. Updike and Hackel-
man left, the meeting continued with unabated success and
interest.

The penitent still kept coming into the ark of safety
— the old ship of Zion, not only by twos and sevens
but as many as eight made the good confession at one time;
and so the good work went on, until there were one hundred
and twelve souls brought into the communion and fellow-
ship of the church. The meeting continued until the 20th
of April and the last night a lady confessed Christ and
another joined the church.

66 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

The officers of the church were trying to persuade
Elder Howenstine to abapdon his other congregations and
move to Payne and give them all of his time; which seemed
a hard thing to ask; but they were quite a distance from his
home and called him to be away from his family every
Lord's day, and his wife and little ones had nearly two
miles to walk to church. Considering these circumstances
he thought it would be better to accept the charge at Payne,
and move there and be with his family, and the church he
was laboring with, every Lord's day. Accordingly when
he went to his regular appointment he laid the matter before
these congregations; but it was a sore trial to give up the
minister they loved so well, the one who had built up their
church and Sunday schools and their Y. P. S. C. E. and
kept them in such a prosperous condition. But they
seemed to think it was the Lord's will that things were to
take such a turn, and gave their consent.

This released Elder Howenstine from his obligations
at Salem and Little River, and when he again returned to
Payne he accepted the pastorate and rented a commodious
dwelling house, but unfortunately it was in that part of the
town where the wells are shallow and the water not of the
best quality. On the following Friday he returned to his
new field of labor, in order to do some visiting and pastoral
work before the Lord's day service. But the diphtheria
had broken out in a malignant form and some parts of the
town were quarantined, and the board of health had issued
an order to have the schools stopped and no services allowed
in any of the churches. Accordingly Elder Howenstine
.remained among his flock till Saturday' afternoon when he
took the 2 o'clock train, of the Nickel Plate railroad, and
came to Raber Station and walked over to Forest to preach

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 6/

at the old home church, and made four visits or calls before
church time on Saturday evening.

This was his last visit to the home of his parents and
the home church. He spoke expressly on Lord's day of
how much he prized the privilege of coming home and to
the home church — to the place where he first gave his
heart to God, and where he had labored so long as an
elder of the church and as Sunday school superintendent.
Before he left on Monday morning he spoke of his' inten-
tion of going to the World's Fair, and said: "Mother, I
am not going to satisfy an idle curiosity, but I intend to see
all that can be seen in the time I have to spend there; and
I want to lay in a store of information to draw from in after
years."

It was raining when he started, with his umbrella
raised and his grip-sack in his hand; he gave us all an
affectionate farewell, and we stood at the north door
and looked after him as he walked down the well-beaten
path, across the pasture lot to the public road. But, little
did we think or dream, that this was his last walk across
the lawn and his last visit to the dear old home. Alas !
how uncertain is life. Everything we look upon is passing
away; but "the word of the Lord is perfect, converting the
soul." "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but My word
shall not pass away."

"O let the soul her slumbers break,

Let thought be quickened, and awake
Awake to see

How soon this life is past and gone

And death comes stealing softly on,

How silently !" — Don JRodridgo.

The following is a letter from Elder Howenstine to his
parents while holding his meeting in Payne :

6S FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

Payne, Ohio, April 13, 1893,
Dear Father aitd MotJier :

I am still in Payne carrying on our meeting in the
name of the Great Master, and our labors have been won-
derfully blest. I wish you could be here and participate in
these great feasts of God's love and comforting grace
enjoyed by his dear people. It is truly a time of refresh-
ing from the presence of the Lord. When we meet
together for worship we realize that we have the fulfillment
of his promise, that 'Svhere, if but two or three are met
together in my name I will be in their midst." And, when
I stand up in His name and in my weak way preach the
glorious gospel to these people, I realize that the Holy
Spirit is applying it to the hearts of such as are willing to
be saved.

The town is pretty well stirred up — people are taking
a retrospect of their lives to see if they have obeyed the
commands of the Savior and set an example of this
obedience before the world. Some have been church-
members and even leaders and teachers in the church for
years and have not obeyed the Savior in baptism. Last
week, one evening after church, a man remained to talk
with me about his soul's salvation. We talked until ever)^-
body had left except the janitor and one other brother, and
when all doubts were removed I took his confession away
back at the door; he did not want to wait till the rising of
another sun to confess his Savior. It reminded me of
Philip and the Ethiopian.

Brother Updike and his singer, Brother Hackelman,
assisted in this meeting for several days. The house was
filled to its utmost capacity every night and our day meet-
ings have been very interesting. There has not been a day

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 69

gone by since our meeting fairly commenced but that I had
baptizing to do. There has been near a hundred additions
and a great deal of good substantial church work done
beside. I do notknow, yet, when the meeting will close.
The brethren here want me to abandon my other preaching
places and move to this place and give them all my time.
This would be a great trial, for I love my work and the
brethren at these other places so dearly, but if I can accom-
plish more, good by taking this charge I reckon I shall
accept it. Jennie and Nellie came to stay a few days with
us and enjoy this good meeting. Nellie was so glad to see
me that she had to give vent to her feelings through a great
flood of tears. Well, it is almost time for church and I
must close. I hope this little message will find you all well
and rejoicing in hope. How is the work prospering in the
home church ? Give my love to all. Remember me, and
my work in your prayers.

From your affectionate son,

Solon A. Howenstine.

CHAPTER XI.

EEMOVING TO A NEW FIELD OF LABOR — TOO BUSY TO VISIT —
PREACHED HIS LAST SERMON— A TREASURE IN PEAVEN-HER
SPIRIT WE WOULD NOT RECALL.

^mRS. S. A. HOWENSTINE and her children took
the street car and went over to the Nickel Plate

^i^^ railroad depot on Monday afternoon to meet a
friend that was coming from the west, and were intending
to stay there till the train came in from the east, and meet
"pa[pa" as he came in from Payne; but to their surprise he
came in from the west and they did not need to wait.
They had not heard of the sanitary regulations at Payne,
but were, glad to see papa fresh from their old country home.
A few weeks following was spent in settling up business,
renting the Fort Wayne property and preparing to move
to Payne.

The writer went to Fort Wayne and made them a visit
in the week previous to their departure, which was a season
of rare enjoyment. Elder Howenstine had added several
new volumes to his library and had purchased a new and
commodious book case to hold his well selected supply of
books, and had subscribed for the Reviezv of Reviews and
several other interesting periodicals. Examining and dis-
coursing on the various topics treated of in these works,
and, what would be the better plans of church work in his
new field of labor, were the principle topics of conversa-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A; HOWENSTINE. 7 1

tion during the days of this pleasant visit; and all that
seemed to worry the elder, was, that he had not time
enough to do all the pastoral work that ought to be done
and to do the reading, that he wished to do beside. On
Saturday, after early dinner he got ready too go to his
appointment at Payne, packing his valise with such books
and papers as he expected to need, and rolling up one of
his charts, he said : "Next Saturday I shall not be obliged
to go away and leave my home and family, and on Lord's
day we can all go to Sunday school and church together. "
Then he kissed the children and told them to be good, and
bid us an affectionate good-bye and started for the street
car line.

This was our last sight of his stately form till we saw
him on his sick bed. We returned to our home that after-
noon, and in the week following Elder Howenstine and
family removed to Payne, and by the generous assistance
rendered by the brethren and sisters of the church, they
got settled down, and ready for church work, by Saturday.
It took several weeks of busy work and study to get things
in shape that he could leave for a week to go to the Colum-
bian Exposition about the middle of June. At 3 o'clock
on Monday morning he started on the Nickle Plate railroad
to Valparaiso, where he intended to stop a few hours to
visit his Almamater — his old school home, and his friend.
Harris Kaufman, who was attending school there at this
time. He also called on Rev. J. H. O. Smith, pastor of
the Church of Christ at that place, and president of the Y.
P. S. C. K. of the state of Indiana. He spoke of this
pleasant interview as one of the prominent features of his
week's enjoyment. He had met this interesting christian
gentleman on two former occasions — at the preacher's meet-

72 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

ing at Wabash and at the Y. P. S. C. E. convention at
Fort Wayne.

Valparaiso is the place of conjuction of the Pittsburg,
Fort Wayne & Chicago and the Nickle Plate railroad's, and
a party of young people from the home church at Laud
were to meet him there, and accompany him to the expo-
sition. When the young folks returned we asked them
how they enjoyed the fair? The girls said "we enjoyed it
splendidly, but it was no use to try to keep up with Solon.
He got around and saw as much in a day as we could
in two." We were expecting him to come home on
a visit for a few days when he returned from Chicago, and
he sent his wife and children on to her father's the next
week, but he had a large Bible chart to draw and put up in
the church, and he took this opportunity while the children
were absent to do it. His wife and children visited among
the relatives and neighbors and put up cherries and other
small fruit, in quantity as she expected to need.

In this time she was expecting her husband to come
and visit a few days; but almost every day she would get a
letter or card from him telling how busy he was. He wrote
that they were repairing and papering the church and he
wanted to have his chart finished and ready to hang up as
soon as the church was completed; and there was so much
to do in looking after the interests of the church that he
thought he could not come till October, when the Howen-
stine annual reunion was to be held in Clear Creek town-
ship. Huntington county, Ind., and as he was vice president
of the association, and was on the program for the opening
speech, he desired to be there without fail; and then he
would visit his friends and preach again at the old home
church. But these fond hopes were never realized. When

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 73

his wife returned home he was not feeUng well. He said
that he had not been right well since he came from Chicago.
She tried to induce him to take a thorough course of treat-
ment, but he relied on his strong constitution to throw off
the disease and only took some cordial to check a dysen-
tery that was troubling him at the time. Work and busi-
ness were pressing on every side; the ministers of the
various churches represented in the town were holding
weekly meetings in order to prepare themselves to meet
the dem.ands of the place, for they had the effects of seven
saloons to contend with, and he was chairman of these
meetings. He was on the program for a sermon at the
Sunday school convention at Hicksville, Ohio, and had a
call to go to Salem, his former preaching place to preach
at a yearly mneting, and was making preparation to attend
and officiate at the elegant wedding of Nettie McHenry.

Besides his church work in Payne, he went to several
places in the country and preached on Sunday afternoons
and frequently on week-day evenings. Thus we see that
Elder Howenstine's mind was so enlisted in the work of
the Master that the destructive elements of a fatal disease
were preying upon him unnoticed by himself, but not by
his wife, for she saw that he was not as strong and robust
as he used to be and that he was working and studying too ,
hard, and would often speak of it to him, and he would
say that "Brother Updike works harder that I do, and he
stands it all right."

On Tuesday evening, August 8th, he had an appoint-
ment at Baldwin seven miles distant. That day he went
to Dr. Gorrel for medical advice and treatment. The doctor
told him that he ought to be in bed instead of going out
there to preach. He replied: "I unavoidably disappointed

74 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

them once and if I disappoint them again, they will loose
all confidence in me. " And, though his temperature was
one hundred and three, he insisted on going and the doctor
administered medicine and sent his son to take him to his
appointment in the carriage; and with much earnestness he
gave his excellent lecture on Paul's missionary travels. On
Lord's day evening, previous, he preached his last sermon
in Payne on the same subject, which we shall endeavor to
write out in following pages as best we can from the notes
and references which he left. When he returned from
Baldwin he took a severe chill and became very sick and
was under the doctor's care for the remainder of his precious
life.

"The wish on earth to linger still
Were vain, when 'tis God's sovereign will
That we shall die."

The following is a fac-simile of a letter of condolence
written to John Benton Ihrig and wife, members of the
home church, shortly after the death of their daughter,
Eva, who was suddenly crushed to death by a locomotive
engine while on her way to church in Marion, Ind., July
3rd, 1893 :

S. A. HOWENSTINE, V. D. M.,
Pastor.

Payne, Ohio, July 7th, 1893.
Brot/ic)- and Sister Ihrig, Land, Ind. :

My Dear Brother and Sister : — I just learned last
evening of the fearful and awful death of your daughter, Eva.
If any consolation can be afforded under so heavy an affliction
as you have experienced, it must come from a higher
power than mine. Your strong faith and hope in God is
the greatest comfort to you in the hour of trouble. But,

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 75

dear brother, I shed tears with you while writing this, and
the only thought that clears them away is, that dear Eva
was prepared to meet her God. She leaves her christian
life behind her as a greater monument to her memory than
a marble pyramid that would reach the sky. When I read
of her sad death, my mind was carried back to the many
times we met in the prayer-meeting. Sometimes not many
present, but Sister Eva always had a word of encourage-
ment, a prayer or a song.

Oh, I never shall forget her sweet voice as she used to
sing in our meetings. But that voice is hushed on earth
now while it is mingled with the angelic voices of heaven.
My prayer is that we may all so live as to enjoy that sweet
voice with the angels in the bright home of the soul. My
brother, this is a sore trial which your family is passing
through and I ask God that his sustaining grace may be
able to heal the wounds of your hearts. Dear Eva is now
a treasure laid up in heaven, and the gate through which
she passed to glory is left open so that in due time you may
follow. Let this be your consolation. God comfort you,
I cannot. From your sorrowing friend,

Solon A. Howenstine.

IN MEMORY OF EVA IHRIG,

Laud, Indiana.

From our presence into the haven of rest
Dear Eva has passed to dwell with the blest.

She smilingly went from her dear village home
Not expecting life's end to be merely a moan.

•J^ FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

She was light-hearted, cheery and gay,

And hoped ere long to come back to stay;

But it was there she met that horrible doom,
And now lies resting in the silent tomb.

A precious soul has gone to rest —
A spirit fled to the home of the blest.

A voice we loved so much is still,
A place is vacant none else can fill.

We mourn, as do her many friends,
When e're we think how sad life ends.

She's dead ! but lives among us yet;
Her smiling face we'll ne'er fofget.

She was a Hght — a city on a hill;

Her kindly deeds the engine could not kill.
In Y. P. S. C. E. and church we ne'er shall meet

That dear loved one we used to street.

Arrayed in garments pure and white

She'll clasp the hand of ^Gilbert in the light

Of God, where they two, hand in hand,
Will walk the shores of Beulah land.

Help us dear Lord, this cross to bear
That in this sorrow all may share;

Comfort that father and heart broken mother
Sorrowing sisters and grief-stricken brother.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 77

Dear Eva was much loved by us all,

Yet her sweet spirit we would not recall.
She's fought the good fight, the prize she has won
And is now made heir with the glorified Son.
— Ella Howenstine.
* Eva's little nephew, Gilbert, son of her twin sister,
died a few months before.

CHAPTER XII.

THE LAST COMMUNION— THE PASTOR'S REQUEST — A HOPE THAT
NEVER FALTERS.

fN THE loth of August, 1893, at 9 o'clock in the
evening the writer received a letter from Elder How-
enstine's wife written as follows :

Payne, Ohio, August 9th, 1893.
Dear Friends at Home :

I take this opportunity to address a few lines to you.
I cannot say we are all well, for Solon is sick with typhoid
fever. I have been giving him medicine every two hours
for two days and nights. No one else has administered a
dose of medicine. I would be glad to have some of you
come and see us. I would like to have Ella come and
stay with us, for I am nearly down sick myself
Yours affectionately,

Jennie Howenstine.
This message was received on Thursday and the Friday
morning mail carried back the answer: "Be of good cour-
age, do the very best you can and we'll be there to-mor-
row;' ' and that day, preparations were made for an early
start on the morrow. At 3 o'clock in the morning Elder
Howenstine's brother, Scott, and the writer were on the
road with a good travelingpony and buggy. Sunrise found
us eighteen miles on our way. We breakfasted at Fort

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 79

Wayne at S. F. Swayne's where the elder's sister, Ella was
living at this time; and a few minutes before i o'clock in
the afternoon we were at the residence of our beloved one.
We found him very sick, but perfectly rational. He was
very glad to see us, and expressed himself as feeling some
better, but we were very cautious not to talk too much to
him, as he was quite weak. Dr. Gorrel was yisiting him
three times a day and using all the skill and knowledge of
his profession that he could command, for his restoration;
and everything in the way of nursing and loving attention
was being done for him. There was not anything that his
attendants could think of, that might contribute to his com-
fort or lead to his restoration, that was left undone. That
afternoon some of the officers of the church and Sunday
school were in, to visit their pastor. He told them to be
in their places on time in the morning; that they should not
let the interest in the Sunday school and church slacken
because he vas sick. He also told them that after the ser-
vice at the church was over, a few of tliem should come to
his home and bring the emblems of the Lord's body and
shed blood with them and have communion service there.
That night he was under the watchful care of his
brother and a brother in the church; his wife and mother
going to rest at midnight. On Lord's day morning he
seemed better and desired that his brother should go to
Sunday school and see his congregation and the church that
was the object, around which his best interests clustered.
His brother complied with his wishes, and while he was gone
he conversed with us about the dear old home and the loved
ones there, that were anxiously waiting to hear encourag-
ing news from him, and about the dear old church that he
expected to visit in October. His brother returned from

80 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

church much pleased with the appearance of his charge
and sat down by the bed and conversed with him till after
dinner, when he took an affectionate leave of him and
returned home, and we remained to watch over him through
all the days of his illness. In the afternoon the elders and
deacons of the church assembled, with a few of the mem-
bers, at the pastor's home and had communion service.
There were but four persons in his room besides his own
family, the others remaining in his study. At the close of
the services Elder Howenstine offered a short, but impres-
sive prayer, and then said, "brethren, I want you to come
here to commemorate the love Jesus every Sunday as long
as I am sick.

The Lord's day evening drew on, and the shades of
night gathered around, but they brought no rest nor sleep
to the sick preacher, nor his attendants. At midnight he
was taken with a chill, and neighbor Baughman brought
the doctor, who seemed to be very much alarmed at the
severity of the disease. As soon as the chill was over the
fever raised to an alarming height and his mind began to
wander, and by 8 o'clock in the morning it was with dif-
ficulty that he could be kept in bed. He imagined his
family and friends had forsaken him, and that some horri-
ble falsehood had been published concerning him in the
Chicago Times, and that his friends would not let him see
it because he was sick. He said he knew it was false,
because, he had not done anything wrong.

In all this wild delirium, he steadily clung to Jesus,
and persisted in affirming that, "Though father and mother,
wife and children, brethren and sisters forsake me, Jesus
will never forsake me; for I have always been true and
faithful to him, and his word is sure and steadfast." O,

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 8 1

what a grand hope, that will not forsake us even in wild
delirium; it is certainly sure and steadfast, an anchor to the
soul.

Through all this day of anxiety and excitement, the
dear brethren and sisters of the church, and friends and
neighbors, were untiring in their efforts to render assis-
tance and soothe the troubled mind of the suffering patient.
But, as the shadows began to lengthen and the sun decline
in the western horizon, the fever began to abate and before
the setting of the sun his reason returned and he was him-
self again.

He seemed to realize that the disease had the mastery
over him and that his recovery was very doubtful. At a
glance he seemed to interpret the looks of discouragement
depicted in the countenance of his physicians. He feared
that in his delirium he might have said things in a cross
and petulant manner, that had, perhaps, hurt the feelings
of some of his attendants, and lovingly asked forgiveness
if anything of the kind had transpired. All who were
present assured him that they were not in the least offended
and were so sorry that his mind had labored under such a
delusion for so many hours. He then turned to his wife
and told her that he was going to leave her, and what dis-
position she should make of the property, and that she
should do the best she could to raise the children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord: and he said further
that he wanted Brother Updike to preach his funeral dis-
course; "and bury me well, wherever you think

best, and do not get a costly monument for me, I would
rather you would take the money to educate the children. "
Then he turned his eyes upon the children, and said, "I want
you to be good and mind your mamma, and go to school,

82 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

and get a good education, and grow up to be nice Chris-
tian ladies." Then he addressed his mother and said:
"Mother, you have always been a good mother to me,
and given me good advice and helped me in every way you
could, and I thank you for it in thismy dying hour. " Then
he spoke to the church members, saying, "Do not let the
work of the Lord slacken or go down, but go right on and
do the best you can till you can get another pastor to fill
my place." They answered, tearfully, that that would be
hard to do, that there were few men that could fill the
place as he did. He seemed much exhausted from this
talk, and said, "Now I am ready to go."

CHAPTER XIII.

THE LAST ENEMY — APPROACHING THE END — THE SPIRIT TOOK
FLIGHT.

:E WILL here make a digression and answer a ques-
tion that has been asked by many enquiring friends.
When Elder Howenstine spoke to his wife and
children of the things that we might call his will, "Why
did you not dispatch immediately for his father, brother
and sisters?"

In the first place, we had written in the morning stat-
ing his condition during the night and up to lo o'clock in
the morning and said that if he did not make a change
soon he could not survive many days. Second, None of
his family, who were present, had ever worked with
patients suffering from typhoid fever, and the brethren at
Payne said it was no uncommon thing for a person to get
wild and dehrious in this disease. Third, We had never
known a person to die with this disease sooner than the
fourteenth day. Fourth, We had often known*of persons
making their will and having it written and attested and
then recover. And lastly, Mrs. Fred Brock, a very dear
friend of ours at Forest, told us years ago, that her hus-
band had typhoid fever and laid in unconcious delirium for
ten or twelve days, and one of the small children died and
was taken away and buried and he knew nothing of it, and
yet recovered.

84 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

When the fever and dehrium returned that night with
such violence and the physicians seemed alarmed, we sent
a dispatch to the folks at home soon after midnight. Owing
to carelessness or inability of the operator, the message
was not delivered to the parties to whom it was directed till
almost noon. Then it was impossible for them to reach
the depot in time for the i o'clock train, which was the
only train going east that would stop at Payne that day.

All that transpired from this time till Wednesday noon
would fill many pages with sad and sorrowful records, but
suffice it to say that he was hurried along from one stage
of the disease to another as though he was on a "Light-
ning Train." On Tuesday his sister, Ella, came from Fort
Wayne and was much surprised to find him in such a crit-
ical condition. She sent letters and dispatches to relatives,
but owing to some delay of the carrier they received the
word too late to come on Tuesday and before train time on
Wednesday, the "grim monster" had done his work and
one of the best men living was dead.

On Tuesday morning Dr. Stemen, of Fort Wayne,
was telegraphed to come as council to Drs Gorrel and
Cartwright. He boarded the first train available and was
there by noon, and as he stood by the bedside his counte-
nance told his decision, and the dying man, though delir-
ious, was ^ot slow to read it, for as soon as he was gone
the elder said, "Now, see there, that doctor just came in
and looked at me a little while and then went right out and
never gave me a word of encouragement, nor even a dose
of medicine — it's no use — it's done — ^it's all gone — I want
the rest of you to get away too, or it will go as it has with
me. Let me get out of doors where it is cool, and plenty
of fresh air and cold water, and I will get along all right."

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 85

He seemed to realize that the malady was prevailing
as an epidemic in the town, and wanted his wife and chil-
dren to leave for their own safety. As the day wore away
and the fever began to abate, and when his attendants had
done all in their power to make him comfortable and would
leave him to rest or sleep a few minutes, he would fold his
hands across his breast and in a sweet plaintive tone, sing:
"There's a land that is fairer than day
By faith we can see it afar."
with the chorus,

"In the sweet by and by."

Later on, his speech seemed to fail him and he talked
very little and with much difficulty; and was taken with par-
oxisms of laughter — he would laugh as heartily as ever he did
when he was well. But this seemed to be the preface to
the last chapter of the book of his life; the neighing of the
"pale horse" as he was goaded on by the "sickle-armed"
rider.

I will here state that in all his sickness he never refused
taking his medicine or nourishment until the Fort Wayne
doctor prescribed brandy to be taken internally; this he
firmly refused and when his attendants forced some of this
alcohoHc stimulant into his mouth he wept like a child but
did not say an ill word.

Night came on, and its somber curtains were drawn
around this grief stricken home; and there was no rest, no
sleep, no joy, and no mirth among that anxious company
of friends and attendants. And at midnight there was a
cry, "behold the bridegroom cometh, is the bride ready?"
'*She is ready but her friends detain her. " "He is dying."
"Bring the doctor, quick." "O ! it's no use he's going."
"Sing to him as he passes into deaths chilly waters," said
his mother. But all seemed in too profound a depth of

86 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

grief to start a hymn. But she laid one hand on his clammy
brow and with the other she held his hand in a gentle lov-
ing grasp and in broken accents sung:

"In heaven above, where all is love
There'll be no more sorrow there."

Then Sister Baughman, a Methodist lady, came in
with her book and led in singing a few appropriate songs
with that peculiar sweetness that accompanies a voice mod-
ulated with grief. "He's rallying; perhaps it's not death —
it may be only the crisis — perhaps recovery is yet looming
up in the future. " "Listen, that's the doctor." "Things
may change for the better yet," was the language of the
anxious, love-blinded family. Then nourishment and stim-
ulants were brought and administered, hot flannels were
applied and changed every few minutes, the sweat was
wiped, the fan was vibrating, gentle loving words were
spoken by wife, mother, sister and children in vain hope of
getting a distinct answer. And thus the spirit that was
yearning to go at the midnight call, was detained till high
noon; yes, twenty minutes after twelve and the ' 'silver cord
was broken. " No husband's voice was heard to cheer the
home, no father's footsteps were listened for by the
prattling children. No pen was writing messages, telling
of his success in the gospel to anxious loving parents. No
minister was there to occupy the vacant pulpit, and com-
fort the sorrowing congregation. Then was heard the heart-
rending sobs from a disconsolate widow and orphan
children. A mother's staff had fallen from her hand, and
a sisters's hopes fled. "There's the train." "O ! could
they only have got here an hour earlier. They will not be
expecting this. O, how can they endure to come in, and
see him in the embrace of death," were choking words of

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 8?

a weeping sister. "There they come walking down the
sidewalk weeping and wringing their hands; they have
heard it at the depot. What a crowd of them. The
father and mother of the weeping widow, the father of the
deceased minister, his only brother, almost overwhelmed
with grief, Elder Gillespie, his yoke fellow in the ministry,
B. F. Ihrig and Jacob Raber, members of the home
church." Oh ! what a sad meeting of loving friends; they
could scarcely believe that the gentle spirit had fled from
the placid features of their beloved friend and brother.
But these sad partings have been taking place ever since
our first parents were driven out of the garden of Eden.
And joy, peace and union unalloyed with sorrow, parting
and disappointment, are only found in the.paradise of God.

"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep,

From which none ever wakes to weep."

CHAPTER XIV.

AFTER THE STRUGGLE — PREPARATIONS FOR THE BURIAL— THE
FUNERAL.

HEN DID he take worse," asked his heart broken
brother. "On Sunday a few hours after you left.
What delayed your coming so long, I looked for
some of you all through the night; I supposed you would
come through in some vehicle and not wait for the train."
"Well, mother, we had a sad funeral at the home church;
our dear little sister, Delly Richmond, is dead and buried;
and there was a mistake about delivering the letters, and
the night operator failed to send out the telegram in time
to take the train yesterday. And then we had no idea he
was so ill. Did he die hard?" "Yes. About half an
hour before the breath left him, he had a terrible struggle
with the grim monster, but there seemed to come to his
rescue one of those horses unseen to natural eyes, that
were encamped on the mountain of Dothan: 2 Kings, 6:
17. He moved and braced up every muscle in his body
and put his hands together, clenched as though holding
the rein of the bridle and raised his eyebrows and seemed
to ride through the "valley and shadow of death" as proud
and gallant as any general that ever commanded a battle;
and after this his countenance wore a peaceful smile, and
as I placed a quilt beneath his head when Brother Campbell

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 59

removed the pillow, he spoke the work "mamma. " Then
his wife came and bent lovingly over him, and said, "Solon
can't you speak to me once more ? This is Jennie don't,
you know me ?" He opened his eyes and tried to speak
but his tongue failed to obey his will, and with a smile he
nised his eyebrows and politely answered with a nod or
bow of the head. A few more breaths, a few more kisses
pressed on his forehead, and all was over.

I held to his hand till he was far out in the chilly
water of death, and for an instant the vail was lifted "that
intervenes between the fair city and me," and "the rnists
were cleared away," and on the other side of the river
stood the "Fair City," on a gently sloping hill side, with
streets covered with arches resting on piers, all covered
with white, and delicate tinted flowers, and in the streets
and on the hillside was "the great multitude of the
redeemed that no man could number;" and near the
farther bank of the river stood a form, like that of
Sister Eva, who was hurled into eternity but a short time
ago by the locomotive engine, as though waiting to wel-
come him, who was so long her instructor in the church
and Sunday school, to that delightful shore beyond the
Jordon of death, where there is no more sorrow nor crying,
"And the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are
at rest."

"In a moment this beautiful vision had vanished and
we were all herein the presence of death." While this
conversation was going on, in an adjoining room preparations
were being made to embalm the corpse and prepare it for
removal to the home of his childhood — to his father's
house in Whitley county, Ind.

The good brethren from the home church assisted by

90 • FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the brethren at Payne were busy sending dispatches and
letters to different places and to Rev. Updike who was
at Toledo holding a meeting at the time; and making prep-
arations for the funeral at the home church on Saturday.
The dear sisters of Payne were rendering every assistance
in their power to make things pleasant, and to mitigate the
sorrows of this bereaved family.

On Thursday morning Mrs. Seley brought her camera
and took a negative of the dead minister as he lay in his
casket, after which a short but impressive service was con-
ducted by Rev. Smith, minister of the Methodist church.
After a song by the choir Brother Smith read part of the
fourteenth chapter of St. John's gospel, then Brother
Wiltsie, elder of the church of Christ, offered a most
tender and impressive prayer, after which Brother Smith
gave a talk that was brief but to the point.

After expressing his heartfelt sympathy and pity in
words of kind regard and comfort to the family and rela-
tives, he said he had never met a man, to whom he became
so much attached and loved so tenderly in so short a time.
He said further, that earth was made better because he
lived, and heaven richer because he died.

Immediately after the conclusion of the service the
remains were removed to the hearse and driven by Mr.
Cowel to his father's home at Forest, Whitley county,
Ind., Elder Gillespie and daughter accompanied the hearse
in their carriage. At i o'clock in the afternoon the family
and relatives, accompanied by Mayor Gaut and his wife,
took the train for Raber station, where they found a num-
ber of conveyances and kind friends waiting to take them
to their destination. About 5 o'clock the carriages drove
in to Father Howenstine's home bringing the sorrowful

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 9I

party that came from the scene of death at Payne, to meet
a large crowd of anxious, sympathizing friends and neigh-
bors, who had taken possession of the house and had every-
thing in readiness for the sad occasion. At 8 o'clock the
hearse arrived and the pall bearers carried the dear son
into the parlor for his last visit at the old homestead where
he remained until Saturday morning, August 19th. When
his remains were removed to the church at Forest, where
he first confessed Christ, and took membership in the fam-
ily of God, and labored as an elder and a Sunday school
superintendent and teacher for so many years. Rev.
Updike conducted the funeral services, assisted by Elder
Hummel, of Marion, Ind. His text may be found in
Matthew 25: 21, "^Vell done, thou good and faithful ser-
vant; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make
thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord."

It was said by many, who are competent judges, that
it was the ablest and most pathetic funeral discourse that
was ever preached in this locality, and was attentively lis-
tened to by nearly one thousand persons. After Brother
Updike had concluded his discourse, Brother Hummel
sppke with much feeling and tenderness of his intimate
association and friendship with the deceased and of his
encouraging him to enter into the ministry. After which
the undertaker uncovered the casket and directed the view-
ing of the remains, which occupied nearly an hour. The
final leave taking of the family and congregations to whom
he had been pastor was a most touching scene. Strong
men who had seldom been known to shed a tear, even over
the coffins of their own dead, stood weeping hke children.
When this last parting on the shores of time was over,

92 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the sad procession moved slowly on to Evergreen cemetery
where loving hearts and busy hands had prepared a most
beautiful grave, all lined with snow-white batting and a
wreath of myrtle encircling its vhole circumference; and
when the casket was borne in and placed above it, and the
beautiful pillows, and crosses, and anchors of flowers that
loving hands had supplied, were removed, and it was gently
lowered to the beautiful resting place, and the thickly
batted plank was let down to shut out forever from mortal
sight, the dear form it covered, there was scarcely a sob
heard from the family; they had taken their leave of him
and looked no more down into the grave to see the object
of their affections, but left him to his sweet repose.

"The storm that wrecks the wintry sky,

No more disturbs his sweet repose;

Than summer evening's latest sigh

That shuts the rose."

Man that is born of woman, is of few days and full of
trouble. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust; and the clods of
the earth covered what was so very dear to hundreds of
loving friends.

CHAPTER XV.

EXTKACTS FROM THE FUNERAL DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY REV.
J. V. UPDIKE — CALLED TO HIGHER WORK — FIT FOR THE
SOCIETY OF ANGELS.

tS WE failed in getting a stenographer to note down
this most touching discourse, we will endeavor to give
:3?,p=r a few extracts in our own language, which may fall
as far short of his lively, enthusia.stic manner of expression
as a dead body falls short of fully representing the living
subject.

The scripture lesson read by Brother Updike was the
46th Psalm, beginning "God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble," and ending, "The Lord of
hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." And
also the first part of the 21st chapter of Revelations refer-
ing to the "New heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness;" and to the promise that "God shall wipe
away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any
more pain, for the former things have passed away."

His text was taken from Matthew's gospel, 25: 21.
"His Lord said unto him, well done thou good and faithful
servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, 1 will
make thee ruler over over many things; enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord." Brother Updike remarked that he had

94

FROM THE CRADLK TO THE GRAVE,

been trying for fifteen years to find a subject for whom he
could truthfully and heartily preach a funeral discourse
from this text. But to-day he had a subject before him
that might have said with the Apostle Paul, "I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith."

He said further, "Since I first made his acquaintance,
I have known nothing of him but true fidelity. He was
every day and every hour about his Father's business. In
this he followed the example of the blessed Christ. His
hearts desire and prayer to God, was, that he might be
able to do much good in the world, and be instrumental in
saving many precious souls. He w^as humble, innocent,
frank and open-hearted as a child; and though he was one of
the best of husbands and a kind father, and desired his family
to have plenty to keep them comfortable, he neyer worried
about his salary. The one great object he had in view was:
How much good can I do? How many hearts can I touch
with the grand old story of the cross ? How many lives can
I lead into paths of righteousness, and teach them that 'it is
not all of life to live, nor all of death to die;' and how many
souls can I warn of the byways that lead away from the
highway of holiness into the sloughs of sin and degreda-
tion?" All these and many more, were his high aspira-
tions. There were none of God's human creatures down
so low, but that Brother Howenstine's love and pity reached
after them, nor none so high, but what he sought to bring
them down to the plain teaching of the gospel of Christ.
He was honest and upright in all his dealings with man-
kind, and true and loyal to the great God, whose plan of
salvation he was so faithfully presenting to a sinful world.
Let us not be selfish in our grief, but while we are thinking

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 95

of our loss, let us remember that our brother has gained a
home in heaven, eternal life, a crown of glory.

It was through my influence that he moved to Payne
where he has accomplished such a great work in the name
of the Lord; and it is beyond our comprehension, why God
suffered thi-: malignant disease to lay hold on him, and make
his body an unfit dwelling place for his sweet gentle spirit.
God has called him to a higher plane — a higher sphere of
action. The very best men die young.

Jesus Christ was only thirty-three when his work on
earth was finished. Brother Solon has done more and bet-
ter work in other vocations of life, besides the work of the
ministry, than many other men who have lived to a ripe
old age. His place in the pulpit at Payne, and in the
hearts of the members, and in the social circles, cannot be
filled as he filled them. He was one among a thousand in
looking after the necessities of all classes of society. The
cause of the ragged waif of the street was not beneath his
notice. Oh, he was so faithful over the few things that
God had committed to his care, and his labors and his
afflictions have worked out for him a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory; and he has the promise of
being made ruler over many things. When we consider
what he has accomplished, he has not died young. He has
lived eighty years in thirty-seven; not in amassing wealth,
though he has left a comfortable sustenance for his family,
but in the good he has done, as is shown in the impression
he made on the minds of those with whom he associated
in life, and in the way he has endeared himself to the
multitudes of people. His life time is not counted by
days, months and years, but by the good deeds he has
done, the grand work that he has accomplished and the

g6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

sacrifices he has made for the cause of the Master, and the
influence he has exerted over the Hves of many, that may
not cease to work for the glory of God in this world, or in
the world to come.

There is no need of any word that I may utter to
remind you of the loss we have sustained in the death of
our dear brother. There is perhaps not a solitary person
in all this vast audience who is not a mourner. And many
under the sound of my voice have been led to Christ through
his labors and his exemplary life. Every community where
he resided, if it was but a short time, was made better and
happier by his presence. We felt the benefit of his loving
presence, even the short time he sojourned with us in Fort
Wayne. He would come to my home with smiling coun-
tenance, gentle spirit and loving heart, and we would sit
down and talk from noon till evening and other times from
evening till midnight; and you may wonder what we talked
about. It was not about the gossip of the city, nor how
to make money, nor how to take the advantage of our
neighbor in the way of a bargain of trade. Ah, no ! it
was how we might present the gospel in order to accom-
plish the most good, and how can we through its influence
save souls and make individuals and homes happy. And
how can we best combat against the infidelity, the false
teaching and the false doctrine, and the many evils that
are rampant in this country of ours.

In the person of Brother Howenstine everybody in
the community found they had a true friend, one that
would give them good reasonable advice on almost any
subject that would come in question, and he would always
point them to the word of God for comfort and consola-
tion, and rules by which to guide our actions and conver-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 9/

sation. And when we consider that this beautiful and
useful life was just unfolding, as a half blown rose blushing
beneath the sparkling dew drops of a summer morning, we
cannot conceive what it might have attained to, had it been
permitted to go on in its high and holy aspirations in this
present world. One thing we know — that his purity of
life, honesty of purpose, and chastity of conversation was
befitting for the society of angels. But years were not to
be the stepping stones to the sublime heights to which this
noble soul should attain.

"He lives the most
"Who thinks the most, feels the noblest, acts the best:
We live in dgeds, not in years; in thoughts, not in breaths.
In feelings, not in figures on the dial.^'

May the Lord bless and comfort, and sustain this heart
broken widow, and these fatherless children, this sorrowing
father and weeping m.other, these brothers and sisters who
have lost their elder brother, and these flocks that have lost
a tender shepherd. May the Lord help us all to look
through our tears and sorrows to Jesus the Chief Shepherd
who is a present help in time of trouble; a father to the
fatherless, an husband to the widow, and a friend that
sticketh closer than a brother.

Dear friends, be faithful and loyal and prayerful a few
more days or years at most, and one by one as we've sung
to-day we will be gathered home to enjoy the society ol
loved ones, of saints and apostles, patriarchs and prophets,
angels and archangels, and the glorified Savior himself.
Amen.

CHAPTEJl XVI.

OBITUARY, BY REV. UPDIKE, EDITOR OF -'THE GOOD NEWS" —
REJOICING IN SUCCESS — NOT DEAD BUT SLEEPING — SUPER-
INTENDENT NINE YEARS — RESOLUTIONS.

j^HE following is an obituary from the pen ot Rev. J.
V. Updike, editor of The Good Nezvs:^

ELDER S. A. HOVVENSTINE.

"Tuesday evening. August 8th, 1893, our dear brother
in Christ, Solon A. Howenstine, preached his last sermon
in the United Brethren church at Baldwin, about seven
miles from Payne, Paulding county, Ohio, on "Paul's
Second Missionary Tour." Last spring we prevailed upon
Brother Howenstine to take charge of the Church ot
Christ in Payne. He did so and moved his family from
Fort Wayne, Ind.. to Payne, and from the very first the
church began to prosper until it was one of the strongest
churches and Sunday schools in the county. Everybody
loved him, and he had calls from all parts and denomina-
tions to preach for them. He was in the few weeks that
he was there, one of the best known and most popular
preachers in that part of the country. He was always
kind and friendly to all. He loved the truth and would
not compromise it for any one; always aiming to convince
other": of its importance. He started to his appointment

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 99

at Baldwin when his temperature registered one hundred
and three degrees. His wife and Dr. Gorrel tried to per-
suade him to give up the appointment and not go that
night, but he said, 'No, I have an appointment there and
the people will loose confidence in me if I disappoint
them. I must go and do my duty.'

"Dr. Gorrel sent his son to take him in the carriage
as he had no conveyance of his own. He preached his
sermon and when he returned he began to chill. The doc-
tor was called and did what he could, and called to his
assistance other able physicians of Payne and Fort Wayne
but to no avail. Typhoid fever had marked him and he
must go. A man in excellent health before, large, fleshy,
robust and active, must give up to die.

"When he was conscious and learned that he must go,
he called his wife and little children around him, (three
beautiful girls, one already in the church) and told them
what he wanted them to do, to always be good and faithful
to the Lord and that he desired Brother Updike to preach
his funeral discourse, &c. Then he became unconscious
and on Wednesday noon his spirit took flight and one of
the best men we ever knew was dead. The wife and chil-
dren worked with him to bring him back, but he did not
hear their cries or calls.

"On Saturday, August 19th, at the church where he
was converted to Christ when he was nineteen years old,
and where he had been one of the best Sunday school
superintendents they ever had, and one of the most faith-
ful elders the church ever had for years, before he moved
away to preach the gospel in other parts. The funeral ser-
mon was preached to the largest audience that had ever as-
sembled in that place, from Matthew XXV: 21; 'Well done,

100 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things;
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. ' It was one of the
saddest days of our life to stand and see the heart-broken
father and mother, and the only brother, and sisters, and
brothers-in-law and the church that loved him so much,
weeping, and then the poor wife and children weeping as
though their hearts would break. It is impossible to give
a description of the scene.

"For nearly two years Brother Howenstine had been
taking instructions from us in evangelistic work. He
seemed so near to us. He was so apt in learning and was
as teachable as a little child. He would go out and do his
very best to carry out our instructions, and then come to
us rejoicing in success, and would take us by the hand and
with tears in his eyes would say: 'Brother Updike, I could
not have had that success if it had not been for your help.'
We would say, 'Go ahead, and see if you don't succeed
anywhere, just so long as you carry out those plans of
work. Give God all the glory.

"Can it be that we can never meet Brother Howen-
stine any more in this world? We feel as though we had
been robbed of a true and faithful brother, and the church
lost a faithful worker.

"He was going to be one of the bright lights here.
He will shine'forever and ever. His mother, who is a very
intelligent disciple, had always been one of his faithful
advisors . It is said that he never gave her a cross word.
What a grand thing to say of a man, who had been with
his mother all of his life up to the time he was over thirty-
six years old. What a good example to young men in this
day of disobedience.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. lOI

"He was earnest and zealous, prayerful and pious,
steady and studious, humble and harmless. He seemed to
have but one ambition and that was to win souls to Christ
and build up the church of Christ. He was in for helping
every good work. The C. W. B. M., the Y. P. S. C. E.,
the home mission work, and everything that pertained to
the work of saving souls.

"There was nothing like jealousy in his nature. He
tried to help everybody and everybody desired to help him.
He was a success. He loved his wife and children dearly,
and his wife was a good helper for him. She could see
that he was studying too hard and would frequently speak
of it, when he would answer, 'Brother Updike can do it
and so can I.'

"He could have stood it all right if that poison had
not lodged in his system. The church at Payne, Ohio,
will never find a man that will fill his place.

"It is a good church and will do well by any man who
will go among them and do his duty as he ought. Brother
Hummel, of Marion, Ind., who had encouraged Brother
Howenstine to enter the ministry, was present at the fun-
eral and spoke words of praise of the deceased, and words
of comfort to the friends.

"We are sorry that we have not the diary of Brother
Howenstine so that we could give more particulars of his
life before we knew him. He has gone before. We hope
to meet him in the 'sweet by and by.

"It is not far to that bright land of love and it will not
be long until we will be there if we are faithful to our
Master. Let us be faithful while life shall last and then go
home, to be forever with the Lord, and all the loved ones
over there.

102 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

"Dear brother, you are not dead, but sleeping. No
pain, no sorrow, no parting, no sickness, no sin, no death,
no tears over there. You are happy now and forever more;
so good bye, good bye brother, good bye."

We chp the following from the Payne Press:
HE IS NO MORE.

"Elder S. A. Howenstine, beloved pastor of the
Church of Christ at this place, after a weeks' illness of
typhoid fever, at 12:40 o'clock p. m. yesterday, breathed
his last. 'He has fought a good fight, ' and in the prime
of a glorious manhood, an earnest, kindly noble soul has
passed away. And we who knew his manly qualities,
stand in the shadow of the tomb and ask in vain, 'why
should it be ?' No answer comes, and we must bow before
the conqueror alike of kings and peasants; for death is no
respector of persons. He came among us a stranger, a
few months ago, but to-day hundreds feel they have lost a
tender, sympathetic, manly friend and helper. He had
ever a word of appreciation for honest endeavor, a word of
cheer for the despondent and distressed, and in his daily
life, as well as precepts, exemplified the teachings of the
great Master, whose work he had been called to perform;
there can be no greater eulogy than this.

"His stay among us has done much good, and he will
be sadly missed — how much, we can not apprehend.
Earth has too few such grand and helpful men. To his
stricken family and friends we extend our heartfelt sym-
pathy and kind regards, knowing they have no power to
comfort those who are so sadly bereft.

"Elder Solon A. Howenstine, son of William and
Lydia Howenstine, was born in Stark county, Ohio, Novem-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. IO3

ber 29, 1856, and departed this life, August i6, 1893,
aged thirty-six years, eight months and seventeen days.

"When a small boy his parents -removed to Whitley
county, Ind., and resided near Laud where he grew to
manhood. He attended the Northern Indiana Normal
School at Valparaiso, and prepared for teaching, which he
successfully followed for about ten years. He united with
the church in early manhood and always led a consistent
christian life; was assistant superintendent three years and
superintendent nine years of the Sunday school at Laud.
While teaching he began a course of study for the minis-
try, and was ordained a minister of the church of Christ
about three years ago. He was called as minister in
charge of the Little River and Salem congregations, and
removed to Fort Wayne, Ind., November loth, 1892. In
May last, he removed to this place and resigned his work
in Kosciusco and Allen counties, and took charge of the
church of Christ at Payne, Ohio.

"He was united in marriage October, 1881, to Miss
Jennie Merriman, of Whitley county, Ind., to whom were
born three children, Carrie, Alma, and Nellie, who with
their mother survive him. The remains will be removed
to-day to his father's home near Laud, Ind., where they
will remain until Saturday, when funeral services will be
held at the church of Christ at Laud, and afterward interred
in Evergreen cemetery near that place."

The following resolutions were drawn up by a com-
mittee appointed by the church of Christ, at Payne, Ohio:
Payne, O., August 21, 1893.

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove
from our midst by death, our beloved brother, Elder Solon
A. Howenstine, and

104 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

Whereas, His family has lost a kind and devoted
husband and father, and the church of Christ at Payne an
earnest, ze'alous pastor, and

Whereas, Our community has lost a citizen whose
influence will leave a lasting impression on all who knew
him. Therefore, be it

Resolved, That the church of Christ at Payne offer
our heartfelt sympathy and condolence to the near relatives
and to our dear sister, Jennie Howenstine, and her children,
in this their sad hour of bereavement and pray that
they will trust in the all wise Father; he, whom our brother
so dearly loved — who is ready to comfort them in their sad
affliction and in their sorrow, and be it

Resolved, That the pulpit and his chair at the church
of Christ be draped in the emblems of mourning for sixty
days, and be it

Resolved, That we, as citizens, extend to the family
our heartfelt sympathy in this the saddest hour of their
lives, and be it

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be put
upon the record of the church, and a copy be sent to the
family of the deceased, and also copies furnished each of
the local papers, and the Columbia City Post and Christian
Standard.

f S. J. Cambell,
I W. S. Snook,
Committee -( Clara Barney,
I Jennie Harris,
l^H. K. Gaut.

CHAPTER XVII.

OBITUARY AND MEMOKIUM — FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT — ASLEEP IN
JESUS— A TRIBUTE — ANXIOUS FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL
-PROMPTING.

'HERE WERE many obituaries in different papers

expressing tender sympathy and kind regards, and

^1 many messages of condolence, but we will not weary

our readers with any more, except the one from the home

church, which is as follows:

IN MEMORIUM.

Laud, Ind., August 27, 1893.

"In the order of nature as instituted by our Heavenly
Father, our brother, friend and associate jn christian work.
Elder S. A. Howenstine, has fallen at the hand of the
dread conqueror, death, which awaits us all.

"On August 16, 1893, the subject of our writing fell
asleep at his residence in Payne, Ohio, after an illness of
about one week of typhoid fever; aged thirty-six years,
eight months and seventeen days.

"Never in the past has it been our duty to perform a
labor of love which presents greater difficulties, and which
appeals more directly to the emotions, to submit calmly
and look to the future hopefully for a perfect substitute,
than in this event of the loss of our friend and brother.

I06 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

"Solon A. Howenstine was born in Stark county,
Ohio, November 29, 1856, and came to Indiana with his
parents in 1864, then but eight years old; where he spent
his boyhood and grew to manhood. Brother Howenstine's
chief characteristics were energy, ambition and zeal; con-
tinually pushing toward the prize of the high calling. Our
brother was the first to confess Christ after the dedication
of the Forest Christian church in 1875. He was married
to Miss Jennie Merriman, of \Vhitley county, Ind., Octo-
ber 2, 1 88 1, to whom were born three children, Carrie,
Alma and Nellie, who with their mother survive him.

"Never before was the language of Paul more perti-
nent and applicable than in this instance of our sorrow. 'I
have fought a good fight, 1 have finished my course, I have
kept the faith."

"Surely the life of our brother suggests the above
language in his daily walk, conduct and christian influence.
Nevertheless, in the face of all the christian condolence and
sympathy, we are overcome with affliction and sadly
exclaim: 'Why all this'?' But from the great beyond
from whence no traveler returns, there comes not even an
echo. But we silently and submissively return from the
tomb to anchor more firmly than ever to 'The rock that is
higher than I. '

"He attended the Indiana Normal school at Valpar-
aiso, where he fitted himself for teaching, which he suc-
cessfully followed for about ten years. He united with the
church and has always led a consistent christian life and has
demonstrated this by practice as well as by precept. He
was superintendent of the Sunday school at Laud for nine
years, but it is said here, to the honor of our brother, that
all may look back upon the great good he has accomplished

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 10/

in the Sunday school work. We must remember now
that he prepared his own maps and charts, a work of his
own hands, with which to facilitate the work of teaching
and make his lectures more easily comprehended. While
yet engaged in teaching, our brother began a course of
study for the ministry and was ordained a minister of the
Christian church about three years ago. He was called in
charge of the Salem and Little River churches and removed
to Fort Wayne, when he was later called to take charge
of the Christian church at Payne, Ohio, where he remained
till death. What more remains for human hands to do,
than to record the noble deeds accomplished by him in the
short space of thirty-six years. Our dear brother, Solon,
was truly an example of industry that may well be mod-
eled: Those of us who knew him best, can best appreciate
his noble, earnest deeds of kindness and manly qualities
associated with a conscientious christian spirit. O, what a
grand combination of characteristics and noble qualifica-
tions. He has followed in the footsteps of Jesus as nearly
as he could.

"The editor of the Payne Press says, 'Earth has too
{^"^ such grand helpful men.' We will emphasize the
above. Truly earth is not burdened with that type of man.

' 'What grander eulogy can we pronounce, than that
he was a christian gentleman under all circumstances ? He
had not passed on the highway of life, the stone that marks
the remotest point, but being weary, he lay down by the
wayside and fell into that sleep which we call death — asleep
in Jesus. He has added to the sum of human joy. He
has done what he could, and how much in the short, but
busy period of thirty-six years. Speech can not portray
our love for him, nor express our admiration of his manli-

I08 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

ness. There was — there is no stronger, gentler, nobler
type of christian manhood. We do therefore extend our
heartfelt sympathies to the heart-broken wife and those dear
little ones. To the father and mother and all the dear rela-
tives, we beg you to accept our deepest condolence."
"Leaves have their time to fall
And flowers to wither at the north winds breath
But thou hast all seasons, for thine own. O, death !"

The following is a tribute of love and respect from the
pen of Rev. S. C. Hummel, of Marion, Ind.:
A TRIBUTE.

"In discharging the duty devolving upon me, an
object assumes a distinct presence before me, as I look
back in the history of a few years; and that the sainted,
(but not because of age) but because of devotion, purity of
heart, and christliness in life. Brother Solon Howenstine
who only a few weeks ago underwent that change we call
death; but Jesus would say "he sleepeth." A departure
from th's earthlife to that celestial life of peace and joy and
blessedness. The setting sun of whose noble life was like
unto the great luminary of day sinking beneath the western
horizon, casting up its glittering rays to the zenith, to
remind us of the unclouded sky through which he had
passed in the day of life.

"Enjoying the acquaintance of Brother Howenstine
was one of the sweet recollections of my life. As an oasis
in the great desert of life, so his association was a sweet
repose from the active duties and labors that lay in our
pathway. This acquaintance was never marred by any
unpleasantness on the part of either of us. Our regard for
each other was not pretentious, but the blending of kindred
spirits to Christ.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. IO9

"In undertaking a tribute to one so noble and so good
I feel inadequate to the task. The first time I met him
was in the church of his parents, and loved ones, and the
faithful in Christ; which church he always loved and in
which he always took an abiding interest.

"It seems but yesterday, so vivid is the recollection of
the greeting he gave me. 1 realized I had found a man of
God whose naturally warm and genial heart had been
touched with the Savior's love, and illuminated by the sweet
spirit of the God he loved so well.

"So proud and generous in spirit, making room for
all who in heart loved his Savior. Hi.^ love did not stop
with his brethren, but was anxious for the salvation of all,
and always rejoiced in lifting up the fallen ones. His life
was like a welj^of water springing up into eternal life; as a
cistern receives the genial showers from the literal heavens,
moistening the spiritual atmosphere of his never to be for-
gotten home, and the society in which he lived. He was
indeed a model husband and father, and if in heaven he
should see one crown left, he would say, "Crown my wife
with it," and any golden harps, "give them to my
children," for he loved them so well. I never saw greater
devotion to the church and the Master's cause, than he
manifested in all his doings.

"In prosperity and adversity, he was a loyal servant
of the blessed Savior. As a Sunday school superintendent
I never saw his equal. It was through the encouragement
of the writer that he was induced to devote his life to the
ministry; accepting the call by virtue of his allegiance to
Christ, to do all in his power to glorify his name. His
work in the ministry was characterized by the same zeal
and energy that was peculiar to him in all the walks of life.

I 10 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

The matter of salary was no consideration with him. But
the good he could do was his highest ambition. His suc-
cess was almost phenominal and can be accounted for,
because God was with him. Brother Gaut, of Payne, Ohio,
said, 'he never preached a poor sermon for us.'

"He believed that the gospel was the power of God
unto salvation, and so he preached it with such excellent
success. How sad to think of a life so useful, so pure, so
good and so much needed should have to leave us. But
how joyful the final victory. When life's battles with me
are done, I expect to meet Brother Howenstine in God's
ho)y city. Remembering the once hospitable home of our
dear brother, I shall never forget to pray for his dear fam-
ily that they may all meet him in that sweet by and by.

"To his memory are these few lines dedicated, hoping
they may be the means of prompting some one on the
great ocean of time to pattern after his pure and noble life,
and be saved in the eternal city of the redeemed.
Respectfully in hope,

S. C. Hummel."

IN MEMORY OF YOUR LOVED ONE.

On this holy Sabbath morning

When your family prayers are said,
There will be no papa, husband,

But a vacancy instead;
One is missing as you gather

Round your hearthstone once so bright;
No more listening for his footsteps,

No more coming home to-night.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 1 1

True, the pastor's words were spoken

We not one can understand
Why a christian soul so needed,

Must yield to the death command; ■

He, through constant, earnest pleading

For God's vineyard gathered in
Both the aged and the youthful

From- the many snares of sin.

How they'll miss their worthy pastor

When they near the house of prayer,
When they see the pulpit empty

And no smile of greeting there;
Home friends mourn and loving parents,

Brother, sisters, children true,
But of all that bear this sorrow

None will mourn his loss as you.

But, dear Jennie, check your tear-drops,

Bending o'er the new made mound.
Let your veil of gloom be lifted.

Look on life's true scenes around;
Here is suffering, there is sorrow.

Yonder pangs of strife and pain:
Peace and rest beneath, above you.

Do you wish him back again ?

112 FROM THE CRADLK TO THE GRAVE,

That sweet smile when last you saw him

Lying calmly in death's sleep,
Looked just like it will in heaven

When your coming he shall greet;
Standing in the fadeless sunlight

You'll forget the gloomy past,
And the welcome songs of angels —

O what joy to meet at last !

Mrs. Minnie Bush.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ELDER HOWENSTINE'S LAST SERMON— DESIRED LETTERS— BE-
HOLD HE PRAYETH — SUFFER FOR THE NAME OF JESUS —
TEACHING AND PREACHING — YE THAT FEAR GOD, GIVE
AUDIENCE — THE GOD'S IN LIKENESS OF MEN.

HE FOLLOWING is a sermon delivered on Lord's
Day evening, August 6th, 1893, by Elder S. A.
?^j Howenstine as near as we are able to render it from
the notes and references he left:

Scripture lesson, I Cor. 2:. Text, I Cor. 2: 2. . "For I determined
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him cruci-
fied."

The young man Saul was a person of great zeal and
energy. What he considered to be right, he would do, if
it cost him his life. He was a natiye of Tarsus, a city in
Celicia — was an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, and be-
longed to the sect of the Pharisees. He was a free born
Roman citizen — had a good parentage. What a blessing
to be born of good parents, who are not slaves of the devil
nor any of his representatives. He had acquired a good
Greek education in Tarsus, and then went to Jerusalem and
studied Hebrew and law at the feet of Gamaliel; who was a
great teacher aird doctor of the law. The first account we
have of this remarkable man is found in Acts 7: 58. "And
the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's

114 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen,
calhng upon God, saying Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice. Lord,
lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said
this, he fell asleep."

I've heard people say, and professors of Christianity
too, that they cannot love, nor pray for their enemies, but
good old Steven did, when they were pehing him to death
w^ith stones, God help us to love our enemies!

The spirit of persecution was then running at high tide
and it wa'- very much like an ambitious young student, to
want to push ahead, and be to the front in any great enter-
prise. It was the fashion then to be zealous of the law,
and persecute christians, and almostevery young man wants
to be in the fashion; and perhaps also he might get an
appointment as captain of a band to hunt down poor per-
secuted christians, and cast them into prison. Accord-
ingly when the excitement was at fever heat, he went to
the high priest and desired letters that he might go to
Damascus to the synagogues and if he found any followers
of Christ, whether men or women, he might bring them
to Jerusalem to cast them into prison, to await such a mock
trial as that of Jesus or Stephen, who were condemed by
false witnesses. O yes! he was a mighty personage in his
own estimation; he had the documents in his pocket.
What did he care for poor Christian women or their hus-
bands or children ? So that he could have a big name, in
carrying out the letter of the law.

But God was taking care of those humble Christians
down at Damascus. Their cry was continually going up for
his care. But he had other work for this high spirited,
energetic young man to do, than to bind poor helpless

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. II5

Christians and carry them to prison. In the ninth chapter
of Acts we read, that as he was journeying toward
Damascus with his retinue of servants, at mid-day there
shone about him a light from heaven, far above the
brightness of the sun, and this proud man fell to the
earth as he heard a voice say unto him, "Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? And he said. Who art thou
Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou perse-
cutest." Sinner, do you ever think that when you are
persecuting or deriding one of the poorest and weakest of
Christ's disciples, you are persecuting him? "In as much
as you have done it unto one of the least of these, my dis-
ciples, ye have done it unto me." And Saul, trembling
and astonished, said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do." And the Lord said, "Arise and go into the city and
it shall be told thee what thou must do."

Christ had put the work of preaching the gospel into
the hands of the apostles. It was not his mission to preach
the gospel after he had passed through the gates into the
city of God.

There is a good preacher down in Damascus that will
tell thee what thou must do. This great light from heaven
had caused a blindness to come over the eyes of Saul and
he was led into the city by his servants and he was three
days without sight, neither did he eat or drink.

This was quite a contrast to the way he expected to
enter that city. He had in his mind to enter as a man of
authority, a conqueror, hailing people on the streets and
asking them of their religion. Little did he expect to be
led into the city as a poor blind man enquiring for a physi-
cian to open his eyes and instruct him how to be saved.
And there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ana-

Il6 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

nias, and the Lord told him in a vision to go and preach
the gospel to him, and restore him to sight, for behold he
prayeth; and when he came to Saul he put his hands on
him and said, "brother Saul, Jesus, that met thee in the
way, sent me to thee, that thou mightest receive thy sight,
and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

And immediately he received his sight and arose and
was baptized, and when he received meat he was strength-
ened. He did not put off his baptism even till after dinner
though he had fasted three days. This was very different
from what many modern preachers teach to-day. I know
a man who was a member of a church for eight years and
was not baptized, and then he was induced to be baptized,
but he said it did not do him a bit of good. This was
owing to erroneous teaching in early life. Children should
be taught that God is a good, merciful, allwise being, and
requires nothing of us but what is just and right, and it is
not for us to ask what good any of God's commands will
do, but it is ours in all confidence to obey. And Saul began
at once to preach in the synagogues. He did not wait till
conference met to give him license. He did not confer
with men, but went out to the wild Bedouins of Arabia,
that he might not build on another man's foundation, but
plant churches of his own in the name of Christ. And
after he had preached among these pastoral people and to
caravans of merchants that were crossing the desert, for a
season, he returned to Damascus and preached Christ in
that city for many days; and the Jews become so enraged
at the strengh and power with which he preached, and the
success that followed, that they took council to kill him.
But their plot was made known to Saul, that they were
watching the gates of the city day and night to apprehend

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 11/

him. Then the disciples let him down over the wall in a
basket by night. The very persons that he came to hunt
down and imprison and kill, now saved his life.

The next place we hear of this great apostle turning
up things was at Jerusalem, Acts 9: 29. And he spoke
boldly in the temple, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and
disputed against the Grecians; but they went about to kill
him. His own brethren were afraid of him for they were
ftot sure that he was a converted man, till Barnabas came
and confirmed his statements. But here, as at Damascus
death was staring him in the face. Behold how much he
must suffer for the name of Jesus. But again when the
brethren discovered their plots, they took him down to
Cesarea and from there to Tarsus to his old home. O,
what a glorious thought to go home a christian, filled with
the holy spirit. Methinks I can see him falling upon the
neck of his aged father and kissing him and telling him of
the love of Jesus. And sitting down by his mother and
telling her of the many narrow escapes, trials and afflictions
that he passed through. At the time of the persecution at
Jerusalem, the saints were scattered abroad and went in all
directions preaching the gospel to whomsoever they met in
their way. This is an example of women preaching as
well as men, for we know that many of the saints, or disci-
ples, at Jerusalem were women. Some went to Antioch,
some to Samaria, and Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul,
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch
and remained there a whole year and taught much people,
and the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch,
Acts XI, 26.

This we think is the new name spoken of by the
prophet Isaiah LXII, 2. And there were prophets at

Il8 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

Antioch from Jerusalem, and one Agabus prophesied that
there would be a great dearth over all the land, and the
disciples determined to send relief to the brethren who dwell
in Judea. They did not wait to see first whether these
prophesies came to pass before they made these arrange-
ments, but were strong in the faith, believing that when
God spoke through the mouth of a prophet, that it would
actually come to pass, and began to prepare for it. Their
bounties were sent thither by the hands of Barnabas anS
Saul.

About this time the saints at Jerusalem were having
great trouble. Herod had killed James and cast Barnabas
into prison. When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their
mission in taking relief to Judea they returned to Antioch^
taking John Mark with them, who was a nephevv of Bar-
nabas. And after they returned it seems they had a kind
of preacher's meeting or conference and fasted and waited
upon the Lord. "He that waiteth upon the Lord shall
renew his strength. " — Isa. XL, 31. And as they contin-
ued ministering and waiting on the Lord, the Holy Ghost
said, "separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where-
unto I have called them. So they being sent forth by the
Holy Ghost departed to Seleucia, a seaport on the Mediter-
ranean, and from thence they sailed to the island of Cyprus.
They came to Salaomis, the chief city of the island and
here they found Jews and places of worship, and they, with
their comrade, John, entered into the synagogue and
preached the word of God. Saul was determined wherever
he went either by land or sea, to know nothing but Jesus
Christ and him crucified. He that would reign with his
Lord and share his glory, must also share his reproach.
When they called the Master Beelzebub and said, he hath

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I I9

a devil, what will they not do to the servants?

But this zealous apostle canvassed this whole island,
more than one hundred miles in length, even unto Paphos,
teaching and preaching the word of God; but here at
Paphos they encountered a Jew that was a sorcerer and a
false prophet, whose name was Barjesus, or Elymus, by
interpretation, and was the companion of the deputy or
governor of the island, who was a prudent man, and called
for Saul and Barnabas and desired to hear the word of God.
He wanted to get into better company and embrace a better
doctrine than that taught by this old vagabond. And when
these apostles were teaching this governor the way of life,
Elymus withstood them, opposed them, and tried to turn
the governor from the faith. Then Saul, filled with the
Holy Ghost, set his eyes upon him.

Oh what a look that must have been ! the spirit of
God beaming out of a man's eyes — such a look as the
Savior gave Peter when he had made his third denial. And
Paul (for here he was called by his Greek name) said, "thou
child of the devil, full of subtility and mischief, thou enemy
of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervent the
right w^ys of the Lord?" Now the hand of the Lord is
upon thee, and thou shalt be blind for a. season, and he went
about seeking some one to lead him. O, how many such
false prophets we have to-day, who are trying to lead peo-
ple away from the right ways of God.

When we are having a good m'eeting, and sowing the
good seed of the kingdom in the hearts of our hearers,
then we can see these greedy hook-nosed vultures flying
around the outskirts of the congregation, as busy as bees,
picking the "good seed out of the hearts of the wayside
hearer, and telling him that it is no use to be so terribly in

120 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

earnest about these things — that religion is just for old
people, and invalids who cannot dance and have fun any-
more, and all such delusions as these. But when death
comes approaching stealthily or suddenly and unexpect-
edly to some young person, these false prophets will be the
last ones 'to come to try to speak a word of comfort or con-
solation to the dying sinner. Scoffer, beware ! God can
send a blindness upon you that may last through all eternity.
We are called to the work of the Lord to-day, for the night
Cometh when no man can work.

When Paul and his companions loosed from Paphos
they came to Perga; and John left them and went to Jeru-
salem— became discouraged and went home. It takes
courage to be a missiorary; don't be stingy, give a little to
the support of those who go. But when they departed
from Perga they came to Antioch in Pisidia. This was a
Grecian city, and here they also found a synagogue and
they went in on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after
reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers sent unto
them saying, "ye men and brethren, if ye have a
word of exhortation for the people, say on." Then Paul
arose, saluting the audience, and his heart filled with the
word of the spirit, he said "ye men of Israel and ye that
fear God, give audiance. "

Then he began away back in the patriarchal dispensa-
tion, and brought forward one great truth after another,
down through the time when Israel was governed by judges
and when they desired a king, God gave them Saul, and
for disobedience he was removed, and David anointed in
his stead; and showed from the prophets and psalms, that
from his seed, God, according to promise, raised unto Israel
a Savior, Jesus; whom John the baptist preached in the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 121

wilderness, and because they knew him not they con-
demned and crucified him; but God raised him up, break-
ing the bars of death and bringing hfe and immortahty to
h'ght; powerfully convincing them that Jesus was the Christ
of prophesy, and warned them not to be despisers of his
gospel, that it might not happen to them as it is spoken by
the prophets. And after the Jews had gone out, perhaps
to talk and consider the matter, the gentiles came to the
apostles and desired that these words might be preached to
them again the next Sabbath.

They were not like some christians who want a new
sermon, a new doctrine, new songs, and a new suit of
clothes almost every Lord's day. When the Grecians had
a good old fashioned gospel sermon they wanted to hear it
the next Sabbath again. This sermon must have been the
■chief topic of conversation during the week, for the next
Sabbath nearly the whole city came together to hear the
word of God. This was too much for the proud, selfish
Jews; they were losing their popularity, and were filled with
envy and indignation and spoke against the things spoken
by Paul, blaspheming and contradicting them. Then Paul
and Barnabas spoke boldly to them, teUing them that God
had commanded that his word should be spoken to them
first, and if they did not hear, they should turn to the gen-
tiles. But the Jews were moved with envy, and stirred up
the honorable men and Avomen against them and expelled
them from the city, and they shook off the dust from their
feet as a testimony against them, and they came to Iconium
and there they seemed to know nothing save Jesus Christ
and hini crucified.

The cross was the culminating point on the whole con-
tinent of their labors; and at Iconium great multitudes of

122 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

both Jews and Greeks were converted. But unbelieving-
Jews stirred up the gentiles against them and laid a plot to
stone them, and when the apostles were aware of it they fled
to Lystria and Derby, cities of Lyconia, and preached the
grand old story of the cross again and healed a born cripple
and when the people saw the miracle they cried out, "the
gods have come down to us in the likeness of men;" and
they called them Jupiter and Mercury, and their heathen
priests brought oxen and garlands to sacrifice to them.

But Paul ran among them and said "sirs we are men
of like passions with yourselves, and preach unto you,
that ye should turn away from these vanities unto the
living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all that
is therein. "

The Jews then came over from Iconium and stirred up
these heathens so that they stoned Paul and dragged him
through the streets and out of the city, and left him for
dead. I am persuaded that it was at this time that Paul
was out of the body and was caught up to third heaven
and saw and heard things that was not lawful for man to
utter; and as the disciples stood around watching him, his
life came to him, and he rose up, and the next day they
went to Derba and preached the gospel there to much peo-
ple and taught many and then returned again to Lystria
and Iconium and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the
disciples and exhorting them to continue steadfast in the
faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into
the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained elders
in every church and had prayed with fasting they com-
mended them to God on whom they believed. So we
commend the disciples here in Payne to the mercies of God
and pray that they may be preserved blameless unto the

LIFE OF ELD. S.

HOWENSTINE.

123

the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we are determined
not to know anything among you but Jesus Christ and him
crucified. Amen.

CHAPTER XIX.

CHRISTMAS SEKMON PREACHED AT SALEM BY ELD. S. A. HOWEN-
STINE DECEMBER 35, 189S — WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR — ITS
HOLY LIGHT STILL LINGERS— SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH THY
NEIGHBOR.

Scripture lesson, Matt. II, 1-7; Luke II, 7-20. Text, Isaiah IX, 6.
"For unto us a cliild is born, unto us a son is given; and the gov-
ernment shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor: the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace."

fHRISTMAS is a conjunction of two words; Christ,
which means anointed, and mass, sending out. Christ
.^,. . was sent out from God as a gift to a sin-cursed world
and his birth was foretold by the prophets and was pointed
out by the star of Bethlehem. How glorious the song of
the angels, how sublime the music of the sphere, how grand
the bells of the universe as they ring out, and sound the
sweet refrain; "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace
good will to men." Well might this message of love be
taken up and used in dedicating the Atlantic cable, one of
the greatest works ever achieved by mortal man.

The good news, good-spell or gospel that was sent out
or proclaimed, was, that Christ the anointed was born.
The shepherds who were watching their flocks by night
and had been visited by angels and a heavenly host chant-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 25

ing God's love to man, caught the inspiration and left their
flocks on the hills of Judea and went to the city of David
to worship the new born Savior.

The wise men — Persian astronomers, saw signs in the
heavens, betokening that some great event had taken place,
and were guided to Bethlehem by the appearance of a slar,
and found the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace,
a little helpless babe in his mother's arms, and presented
the heavenly stranger with kingly gifts; gold, frankincence
and myrrh. Herod, the king, had commanded them to
bring him word, if they found the infant king, but the wise
men were warned of God in a dream not to return to Herod
but to go home another way. But Herod was very wroth
and sent and slew all the children in Bethlehem under two
years old. But God always takes care of his own. Before
the horrible massacre took place, God warned Joseph in a
dream to take the young child and his mother and flee into
Egypt.

O, to think what a beginning of the life of God's dear
son. Like Moses, he had to be hid away, to save his precious
life from the decrees of wicked kings. He that was with
the Father before the world was created becomes a little
babe, cradled in a manger in Bethlehem. Wonderful
Christ; Wonderful Counsellor: wonderful to save poor, lost,
wrecked sinners. It was wonderful to the people, and
nations, when Joshua made the sun stand still while he
gave battle to the king of the Ammonites, along the way
that goeth up to Beth-Horon.

Wonderful was the passing of the Israehtes through
the Red Sea, where the waters were driven back by an east
wind, until they were a wall unto them on the right and on
the left, so that they passed through on dry ground. O,

I 26 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

what a wonder to the children of men when Daniel's Hfe
was preserved in the Hons den, and the Hebrew children
were saved in the fiery furnace, by an angel like unto the
Son of God, that came and walked with them in the midst
of the flames, and showed the wicked king, that the God
who had created fire was greater and stronger than fire
itself.

But more wonderful than all these was the incarnation
of the Son of God. With the approach of this welcome
day we are reminded of the fact, that Jesus was the most
lowly and humble of all mankind and went about daily
ministering to the wants of the needy, both in spiritual and
temporal things, and in his deatJi we can say, with the
apostle, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.

At no other time have we such forcible recollections of
the fact that Christ was not only the son of God, but also
the son of man in the sweetest, tenderest and fullest sense,
the man — our elder brother — the man of sorrows, the child
— the Wonderful Counsellor of whom the prophets spake
and saints of bygone ages anticipated and longed to behold.
He was wonderful in lingering back among the lawyers and
doctors in the temple when only twelve years old, confound-
ing them with his questions and wisdom. He was wonder-
ful in submitting himself to John's baptism in the river
Jordan, when he was without sin, and wonderful in meeting
satan in the wilderness and resisting his temptations by the
answer, "It is written" so and so in the word of God. He
was a sweet counsellor to the poor peasants of Palestine,
such as the fallen woman whom the Jews brought before
him to be stoned, and to whom he said, "go thy way and
sin no more." Wonderful was the sermon He preached on
the mount; this was a master-piece of wisdom never to be

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 12/

surpassed. He was a counsellor in disability and sickness
of all kinds — a specialist in treating the eye and the ear,
lameness and decrepitude. He was also a counsellor in law;
no lawyer was sharp enough to puzzle him — he silenced
them so that they "durst not ask him any more questions."
The advent of this wonderful child inaugerated the day
when God stooped down to kiss fallen humanity and wash
away aur guilty stains, and with his own hand wipe away
the tears of a grief-stricken world. A day when men open
their long closed hearts and think of the people around
them, and beneath them, as fellow travelers, fellow suf-
ferers and fellow sharers. A day when children come
home from far and near and gather around the hearth-stone
to gladden the hearts of their aged parents, and repeat the
merry lines,

"Pile oil more wood, the wind is cliill.

But let it whistle as it will

We'll keep our Christmas merrj- still."

May each of us, as we stand here on the threshold of
the most glorious of all anniversaries, have a share in that
grateful joy experienced by the shepherds, as they, from
the hill-country of Judea, saw the celestial fire flashing and
burning on the canopy of heaven, as they listened with
rapture to the sweet strains of the angelic messengers.

The veritable star of Bethlehem may long since have
faded but its holy light still lingers in the world and shines
down deep in our hearts. The angelic song we may not
hear but the echoes of its glad refrain still thrills in our
souls. It may be, that, as on each return of this glad day
we renew our carols of praise; so the grand angel choir
that sung in the starlit sky of that first Christmas morn,
may sing in the grey twilight of each succeeding one.

128 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

There is something in the atmosphere of this monumental
period, that thrills the heart with a strange sense of unde-
fined, yetrestful joy, even though outside affairs are gloomy,
skies are dark, and streets frosty. There is such a feeling
of blessedness abroad that one might almost believe that
the Wonderful Councellor, the Prince of Peace, had left
for a while, his throne in glory, to walk again, though
invisible, on earth, and by his personal presence shed abroad
love, peace and comfort in this sorrowful world.

He would not tarry long in the halls of m'rth and
and feasting, nor even in the house of prayer, but would
go out among the troubjed, among the poor and afflicted,
the sick and dying and bring sympathy, comfort and help
to all. The lowly suffering ones, even the wretches who
are outside the pale, that the world calls respectibility,
would again, as once before, be the objects of his pity, and
ministering love. O, man of business, strong and proud in
your concious integrity and sense of power, but wedded to
the greed of gain, in so much that you loose sight of the
question, "What will it profit. a man if he gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?"

Should the divine presence, the Wonderful Counsellor
stop in your ofifice and look over your shoulders upon the
ledger, might you not find "A hand upon the wall," that
would erase the long lines of figures that chronicle your
gains, and write in their stead, "He that giveth to the poor
lendeth to the Lord?" O, rich men, and you that are
blest with plenty, look up from the earth and behold the
star that guided the wise men to the abodeof poverty, even
to the rude stable, and then cast your eyes about and see
if there is not some poor abode to which you may be led.
O, Christian, you who are reclining in your easy chair

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 1 29

reading your Bible, do not forget that the spirit of the law-
is above the letter, and put by that sacred volume, and take
your basket, filled with comforts for the sick and hungry,
and go out among the poor, the miserable, and the
oppressed and the divine spirit will guide your feet to
where sin and sorrow, pain and anguish have their gloomy
retreats, and see if you cannot find some work ready for
your hands to do. If any of us have spite, malice, wrath
or envy lurking in our hearts, let us remember that our
Heavenly Counsellor commands us to be filled with the
holy spirit and put away wrath, evil speaking, lying and all
filthy communication out of your mouth, and every man
speak the truth with his neighbor. Jesus is wonderful as a
present Savior. If we unstop our ears and listen to his
gracious calls, and turn not away but forsake our sins, and
repent of our wrongs and come trustingly to him he will in
no wise turn anyone away. The poor, the downcast, the
sorrowful and distressed, may all come to him and find rest
to their souls; yes "bathe their weary souls in seas of
heavenly rest."

He is wonderful in the future when the day of wrath
shall come as a thief in the night, to those who are not
prepared — "who know not God, and obey not the gospel;"
when the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll, and the
righteous shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air;
and the wicked and unbelieving that are upon the earth
shall call for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them and
hide them from the wrath of God.

Lo, then the earth shall give up her dead. Bat-
tlefields, cemeteries, oceans and seas, shall deliver up the
dead bodies they hold in their embrace. All m.ust stand
before this Wonderful Counsellor and give an account of

130 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the deeds done in the body.

Oh ! then we will wish we had lived pure, honest, and
.upright lives: we will M-ish we had heeded the loving calls
of the Savior, and been adopted into the family of God,
made heirs of the kingdom, joint heirs with Jesus Christ
our elder brother; and now while we sing one of the beau-
tiful songs of Zion, we ask you, yes, we entreat you to
come and make preparation for that eternity of love and
blissful enjoyment that awaits the righteous. When we
reach those heavenly shores, "vvheresaints immortal reign,"
we will remember no more our trials and troubles, our foot-
sore marches and our battles with the enemy, and our hope
will be lost in glad fruition, as we bathe our souls in the
presence of the Prince of Peace.

"Father, in each sinful bosom

Bid the star of hope arise;

Roll the clouds of doubt and darkness

Backward from faith's starlit skies.

Haste the day, when from all nations,

Loud the joyous song shall ring.

Glory be to Godi the highest.

Hallelujah to our King."

CHAPTER XX.
A MOTHER TO HER SON.

IN MEMORY OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE,

HEN thou wast a tiny smiling babe,

I loved thee more than all the world beside;
Thou wast my joy and comfort too
And soon did grow to be my pride.

When thou wast but a prattling lad
And followed me about my work;

Thy presence always made me glad,
As near me thou wast wont to lurk.

Thy little helps, how much I did appreciate
When thou didst rock thy baby sister;

And in thy mother's place officiate,
So that the darling scarcely missed her.

When thy feet began to tread the path,
That wound its way to rural school,

I watched thee in thine infant class

Lest one so young should disobey the rule.

And when thou wast a sprightly youth
How much thou wast endeared to me;

Because thou loved"st God's holy truth •
As by thy ways we well could see.

132 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

When at our daily work we toiled,

How sweet thy conversation must have been;

Which came flowing from a heart unsoiled
By contact with vice, and crime, and sin.

Thy questions many, to answer, how I tried.
To give the light in heavenly lore;

And quell thy temper, guide thy pride,
And gather wisdom for thy store.

And when thou didst go out into the world
To fight life's battles in the storm,

A mother's prayers then stood thy guard
As when she watched thy infant form.

Till Christ's sweet gospel won thee to his love
And claimed thy manhood for his own;

I felt my prayers were heard above.

And answered from the "great white throne.

"Go tell my brethren" was the word
"That He is risen to thy raptured soul;

Those who the truth have never heard
That they may reach that blessed goal."

I bless the man of God that led thee out.
And gave thee courage to proclaim

Glad tidings to the world about.
And do it all in Jesus' name.

I bless the patient loving wife.

That said in tears, "I bid thee go,"

And dear to her as her own life.
But yet she did not say him no.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 33

He left his farm and rural home

And moved to town, where best he thought,
He could serve the Master more alone,

And his labor with much good be fraught.

He always kept his armor bright

And walked in paths where saints have trod;
He loved the good, and chose the right

And lived in daily peace with god.

He labored with great zeal and strength
To bring poor troubled souls to rest.

But God looked down and e'en at length

Said, "Enough, come dwell among the blest."

"Good and faithful servant, well, thou hast done,
Over a few things thou hast faithful been;

I will make thee an heir with my glorified son
And give thee more wealth, than princes have

We know thou art happy, and free from all care
In presence of Jesus and angels so high.

Walking the streets of yon city so fair

Where we may all come, in the ' 'sweet by
and by."

O, Lord look down upon grief-stricken friends
And pour consolation in our poor broken
heart;

And give us the comfort that grace ever lends
The prospect of meeting him, never to part.

134 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

WHY MOURN.

The golden grain

Is ripened, but to death,

And summer leaves

Must fall by autumn breath,

For all things die;

Behold the marble urn
That shrines our dust

Shall crumble in its turn.

We mourn the young

They perish as the flowers.

Whose petals scarce

Have kissed life's rosy bowers.

Our brother, dear.

Who vanished from our sight,
As summer days

That fade in azure light.

His work was done —
He fell not as the leaves.

But ripened grain;

And angels bind the sheaves.

Our dearest friend

Whose deeds were as a crown.
Before we thought

His glorious sun went down.

As sinks the moon

Low fading in the west,

Its journey done;

So went he to his rest.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 135

The lines that care

Upon his brow had traced.
Death's gentle hand

With kindly touch effaced.

So calm, so still —

The peace that veiled the dead !
Were death not mute

Those parted lips had said,

"O, ye that mourn

A selfish grief ye give;
Restrain your tears

To shed for those that live.

"I mount above !

Borne home on angels wings.
To join the choir

That heavenly anthems sings.'*

--"-^^^^fe—

CHAPTER XXI.

EASTBR SEKMON PREACHD BY ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE AT SALEM
— THE KINGS SEAL.

Scripture lesson, John XX. Text, Luke XXIY, 6; "He is not here
but is risen; remember how he spake unto you when he was yet
in Galilee." Subject, TheLord is Risen.

E ALL remember that Jesus our Savior was accused
Wlk by the Jewish authorities and false witnesses testi-
fied against him, and their testimony agreed not
together and he was sent from one tribunal to another and
was mocked, scourged, derided, and spit upon, till at length
it was put upon Pilate to pass judgment and deliver the
death sentence, but after all this Jewish formality Pilate
rendered judgment in his favor, saying "I find no fault in
him," and he washed his hands before the people, as much
as to say, my hands are clear of this man's blood. But
the Jews clamored for his condemnation, and said, "Cru-
cify him, crucify him, his blood be upon us and our child-
ren." Then he was led away and crucified between two
thieves; and even while he hung on the cross he was accused
and derided by the mob saying, "he saved others, himself
he cannot save. If thou be the Son of God come down
from the cross." But his mission was to suffer and die for
a sinful world. But God shortened his sufferings; he died
much sooner than the others who underwent the same tor-

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 37

ture. When Joseph, of Aramathea came to Pilate to beg
the body that he might give it a decent burial, Pilate mar-
veled that he was already dead, and would not consent, till
the fact was attested to by the centurian. ^Vhen the body
of the Lord was taken down from the cross and wrapped
in clean linen and laid in Joseph's new tomb, and a great
stone rolled against the door, Mary Magdalene and Mary,
the mother of Jesus, and other women who followed him
from Galilee also stood by, and with sad hearts and weep-
ing eyes beheld the burial.

And the next day the chief priests and the pharisees
came to Pilate and said, "we remember that this deceiver
said while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise
again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure
until the third day, or his disciples will come by night and
steal him away and say to the people he is risen from the
dead. And Pilate said, "you have a watch, go and make
it sure as you can." So they went and made the sepulchre
sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch.

We may observe here that his enemies took the utmost
precaution that his body should not be stolen; even placing
the king's seal upon the tomb, to tamper with which, was
certain death, and setting a watch besides, who were under
the penalty of death if found sleeping. This only made
the evidence of the resurection very much stronger. It is
needless to remind a people who plead for simplicity of
apostolic teaching, that there is no scriptural command for
the observance of Easter. The word Easter only occurs
once in the New Testament and that is in Acts XII, where
Herod killed James, and because it pleased the Jews, put
Peter in prison. It was in the days of unleavened bread,
and it is claimed by the best critics, that the word should

138 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

have been translated "passover" instead of our modern
Easter.

There is no necessity of keeping this day as a time o
great festivity, in eating a great many eggs and sweetmeats,
for we are reminded every first day of the week of the
great miracle of the resurrection. But it may be profitable
to us, on at least one day of the year, to consider more
closely the fact of the resurrection, as it bears such an
important relation to us and our holy religion. In speak-
ing of our Lord Jesus, Paul says, "He was made of the
seed of David according to flesh, but declared to be the
Son of God, with power according to the spirit of holiness
by the resurrection from the dead." In our divine religion
we must have a solid rock-built foundation to stand upon.
This we have in the fact as confessed by the Apostle Peter
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Upon this fact rests
the whole structure of the church and its religious belief,
and "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The
atonement, the authority of Christ as a teacher, his power
and ability to fulfill his promises, and many other impor-
tant principles of religion all rest upon this foundation.
Upon this rock or foundation stone he built his church.

The place the resurrection holds in the testimony that
Christ is the Son of God, is a central place. Around the
facts establishing his son-ship, revolve all the testimony of
prophets and apostles. If Christ had not risen from the
dead, the apostles would never have preached another ser-
mon; they would have gone to their fishing, net making,
tax gathering, and whatever they could find to do. One
said, "we trusted that it was he that should redeem Israel."
But their hopes of this temporal redemption had all van-
ished, when Jesus died on the cross. Paul says, "If Christ

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 1 39

is not risen then is our preaching vain, and your faith is
also vain." If Christ did not rise from the dead, then he
is not God's son; his death had no more significance than
the death of Socrates or Plato or any other great good man
whose name is recorded on the page of history. If he is
not raised we cannot preach remission of sins through his
name, and our faith in him as a Savior is vain; and our
peace and joy in the gospel have vanished. But the Jewish
Sabbath is passed, the first day of the week is about to dawn,
good holy wide awake women are beginning to stir; they have
prepared spices and precious ointment to anoint the body
of Jesus. They are no cowards, not afraid to go to a grave-
yard when it is a little dark. Mary Magdalene, who had
been possessed of seven evil spirits was now filled with the
divine spirit, and was not afraid of any spirit that might be
lurking about the tombs. But she was not aware of the
watch or the sealing of the tomb, but thought she would
be first there to anoint the body of her benefactor. All
that worried her was who shall roll away the stone that I
may gain admittance to the sepulchre. But lo. when
she arrived at the spot, the stone was rolled away and she
peered in through the dim twilight — could she believe her
eyes, he was not there! the linen in which he was wrapped
lay there and the napkin that was bound about his face was
carefully wrapped together and laid in a place by itself,
demonstrating that there had been neither haste nor skir-
mish in robbing the tomb of its occupant. Poor, despon-
dent, heart-broken women, where is your Lord ?

She went and told Peter and John and they came run-
ning to see the empty sepulchre, but they had not the
patience to wait and linger near the spot where had lain the
dearest friend they had on earth, as did the weeping Mary.

140 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

She felt that she must look again into the empty vault,
that so lately held the object of her love. And behold! two
angels in white raiment sitting one at the head and the
other at the feet of the place where Jesus had lain. And
they said unto her "Woman why weepest thou?" And
she answered, "because they have taken away my Lord
^nd I know not where they have laid him," and when she
had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus but
knew him not. And he said unto her, "Woman, why
weepest thou ? Whom seekest thou ?" She supposed him
to be the gardener and said unto him, "Sir, if ye
have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him
and I will take him away,"

Jesus said unto her, "Mary." At the enunciation of
this word her understanding was opened and her bewilder-
ment dispelled. She seemed as much born into a new
world as Noah when he came out from the ark. With
open arms and joy-lit countenance she exclaimed "Raboni"
which is master.

Methinks I see him stepping apace when she would
have caught him by the feet to worship. "Touch me not,
for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go," oh
this word ' 'go' ' though she loved him with all her heart
and would have gladly stayed all day and worshiped him
and listened to his story of the "silent realm but just
explored," but he said "go to my brethren and say to them
1 ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and
your God." What! a woman sent to preach the gospel to
men ! Can it be possible ! And this woman recognized
as sister to the Lord Jesus? " My Father and your Father,
then they were brother and sister. O. what a wonderful
Christ! Wonderful Savior.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I4I

"And I have often wandered, thinking of the story
And thinking of the meaning of that empty grave,

If Mary's joys amidst the resurrection glory
Were not then multiplied by all the joys she gave."

But where were the watch ? When the mighty angel
came down and rolled back the stone they became as dead
men, and fell to the earth. What did the angel care for
the king's seal or the pharisees guard ? And when they
came to themselves they sneaked off and came into the
city and made known to the chief priests all that was done.
Then these priests and elders counselled together and gave
a large amount of money to these soldiers — bribed them
to go and tell that his friends came and stole him away
while we slept. What ! the watch asleep ! Why that is a
crime punishable by death. And who will believe your
testimony, when you testify to a thing that happened when
you were so sound asleep, that a company of men could
come, and break the seal, roll back the ponderous stone,
and carry a dead man away and not wake you. Nonsense,
not even a fool would receive such testimony. But this is
the testimony that infidels accept in preference to the tes-
timony of over five hundred noble christian men and women.
The world by wisdom knew not God. When Robert Els-
mere had gained all the worldly wisdom he could gather
from Esquire Vendover's immense library, he was ready to
renounce his charge in the parish where hundreds were
looking up to him for spiritual food, relinquish his charities
and turn persistently against the noble, generous-hearted
companion of his youth, and deny the divinity of Christ,
and the miracles of the Old and New Testaments. All the
good that can be said of him in this period of his life was,
that he acted honest to his own convictions. This is what
worldly wisdom does.

142 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

Paul, after exhorting the Collosian brethren to be
rooted, built up in Christ and stablished in the faith as they
had been taught; warned them not to let any man spoil
them through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradi-
tion of men and the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ. (Col. 11, 8.) It was not alone necessary that Christ
should die on the cross, but that he should rise from the
dead, and bring life and immortality to light through the
gospel. He was delivered for our offences, but raised for
our justification. The resurrection completed the ponder-
ous chain of evidence that the Father provided to defend
the claims of his only-begotten Son. Some one may ask,
"how does the resurrection prove that Christ is the Son of
God?" Christ frequently spoke of this miracle before his
death. At one time when he was speaking in the presence
of the scribes an pharisees with such power and authority
they demanded of him a sign that he was the Son of God.
He said, "A weak and adulterous nation seek after a sign,
but there shall be no sign given them but the sign of Jonah;
for Jonah was for three days and three nights in the whales
stomach so shall the Son of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth."

And when he had driven the money changers with
their oxen, sheep and droves out of the temple, the Jews
demanded of him a sign of his authority, and he answered,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
He spoke of the temple of his body, but they understood
in a literal sense and accused him of blasphemy. Now if
Jesus rose not from the dead these prophesies were never
fulfilled. Where are the witnesses of his resurrection? Put
them on .the witness stand, impanel an honest jury, install
a just judge. The witnesses who first .saw him were women.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I43

Could they be mistaken ? Surely not, for they were those
who ministered to his daily wants, and sat at his feet to
hear the divine messages fall from his lips, and had been
healed of infirmities by this Great Physician. Their testi-
mony was "we have seen the Lorti. " Two disciples walked
and talked with him as they went to Emaus and he tarried
and he tarried and eat with them and made himself known
in breaking bread. Their testimony was, "the Lord is
risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon." And while
they were yet speaking to the disciples, Jesus stood in their
midst and said, "peace be unto you;" but they were fright
ened and terrified and supposed they had seen a spirit, but
Jesus said, "why are ye troubled? Behold my hands and
my feet, that it is myself. Handle me; a spirit hath not
flesh and bones as you see me have;" and before they were
recovered of their astonishment, he said, "have ye any
meat," and they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and a
honey comb and he did eat before them. Then he said all
things which were spoken by Moses and the prophets and
the Psalms concerning me must be fulfilled. Then opened
he their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures. And he said, "thus it is written and thus it
behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the
third day, that repentance and remission of sins might be
preached through his name to all nations beginning at Jeru-
salem."

Next, we will bring the seven who were fishing on the
sea of Galilee and hear their testimony. They had toiled
all night and caught nothing. A stranger called to them
from the shore, saying, "Children have you any meat?"
Then he told them to cast the net on the right side of the
ship; they obeyed his command and could not draw the net

144 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

for the multitude of fishes; and as soon as they saw this
miracle John said to Peter, "it is the Lord," and wherk
they came to shore, they found Jesus prepared to supply
their wants as had been his custom, for a fire of coals was
there and bread and fish laid thereon to bake, that he might
satisfy their hunger.

And next we will call Thomas, poor doubting Thomas,
he was determined not to believe that Christ was risen upon
the testimony of others. He was one of these fellows who
don't believe anything but what they see. He said, "I
will not believe till I put my fingers in the print of the nails
in his hands and thrust my hand into his wounded side."
Not many days after this the disciples were convened
together and Thomas with them, and Jesus appeared in
their midst, the doors being shut. And he turned to
Thomas and said, "reach hither thy finger and behold my
hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side
and be not faithless but believing. "

This was enough, and he exclaimed, "My Lord and
my God." And Jesus said unto him, "because thou hast
seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not
seen, and yet believed." There were more than five hun-
dred witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, (i Cor. XV,
6.) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all corroborate the
woman's early visit to the empty tomb, and the presence
of angels. Mark and Luke both tell of his appearing to
two disciples as they were going to Emeaus. John was an
eye witness. When he first saw the empty sepulchre the
truth of the resurrection flashed across his mind.

Now comes the last witness, but not the least, Paul, as
one born out of due time, heard his voice and felt his pres-
ence on his way to Damascus. He is a strong witness, for

LIFE OF ELD. S, A. HOWENSTINE. 1 45

he was one of the most bitter enemies to the cause of
Christ, till the Lord met him in the way; then he turned
himself about and espoused the cause he had so bitterly
persecuted, and suffered all manner of persecution and tor-
tures while preaching his gospel. Paul says that Christ
died according to the scriptures and he was not ignorant of
what the Old Testament scriptures taught concerning him.
Now we have had the testimony of this great cloud of
witnesses, to the fact of the resurrection. Infidels have
predicted that in a few decades the church would be dead,
but it is living and flourishing more to-day than ever before,
while infidelity is merging into the back grounds. For
eighteen hundred years people have been joining the church
to the amount of millions on the strength of the resurrec-
tion. Without the resurrection, Christ is but a mere man,
the gospel and the church are but an empty sham. But
we know that such a gigantic impulse could not come from
a fabricated falsehood. The great zeal and courage of the
early disciples are a strong proof that Jesus rose from the
dead. When he was condemned to die they all forsook
him, even brave and impetuous Peter denied him in his
very presence. Their hopes were overshadowed by dark-
est clouds. Their cause appeared hopelessly lost; but after
the resurrection, what a change, what zeal they manifested;
with what boldness they preached the gospel to the multi-
tudes, what miracles they wrought in Jesus name, what per-
secutions they were willing to suffer, rather than to
renounce the name of their heavenly Leader ! They were
brought before counsels and kings and contended face to
face with angry mobs, but they never swerved nor faltered,
because they were begotten to a lively hope by the resur-
rection of Christ from the dead. They were not only

146 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

enthused and encouraged by his resurrection, but after
he had opened up the scriptures to their understand-
ing and gave them their commission he led them out as
far as Bethany, near the home of Mary and Martha and
Lazarus; this was one of his pleasant resorts, the very gate
of heaven to his soul, and he lifted up his hands and blessed
them and in this gracious act he was parted from them and
carried up into heaven.

This was no small part of their joy and comfort, and
they returned to Jerusalem and were continually in the
temple praising and blessing God. And when the day of
pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in
one place, and according to the promise of their risen and
ascended Lord, they were all filled with the holy ghost and
began to speak in unknown tongues as the spirit gave utter-
ance. And Peter preached a great sermon which was heard
and understood by every nation and tongue represented in
the audience, showing by Moses and the prophets that
Jesus was the Christ. The Jews were well aware they had
put him to death, but Peter said, ' 'of his resurrection we
are all witnesses." They were here to deny it. but the tes-
timony was too powerful, they were pricked in the heart
and cried out, "Men and brethren, what must we do?"
Peter answered them, "repent every one of you and be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And
through, the agency of this first gospel sermon, three thous-
and souls were converted. This was an overwhelming evi-
dence of the resurrection of Christ. It is a fact of history
and cannot be confuted by any sound testimony. The best
legal talent in the world declares the evidences of Chris-
tianity as a fact. And examining the resurrection in the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 147

same light we find its evidence equally convincing. This
gives us Christ as the Son of God — the atoning sacrifice for
the sins of the world, and the gospel as the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth. It also estab-
lishes the verity of the Old Testament scriptures. Christ
bore witness to them and fulfilled many of the prophesies.
We need not hesitate to accept the miracles of the Old and
New Testament. If Christ arose all the miracles are true.
That Easter morning long ago, began a new era in the his-
tory of man. The sun arose that morning and shone upon
a tomb robbed of the terrors of death; and the sun of
righteousness had arisen to draw all men unto him. He
burst the bands of death for it was not possible that he
could be holden of it. He took the sting from the fangs
of death and broke the bars of the silent grave and poured
in a flood of light to illuminate the path to the open gates
of heaven and eternal life, where Jesus is seated at the
right hand of God, there to remain till all enemies are sub-
dued and his foes made his foot-stool. Then he will come
in the clouds and every eye shall see him, and those who
pierced him shall behold him; and with him shall be a con-
voy of angels who .shall gather everything out of his king-
dom that offendeth and the New Jerusalem shall come down
from God out of heaven prepared as a bride for her hus-
band and the tabernacle of God shall be with men and God
himself shall dwell with them and be their God.

Amen.

CHAPTER XXII.

A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF ?. A. HOWENSTINE BY ELDER A.
M. GILLESPIE.

S'N THE moulding and influencing of cliurches, there are
In many circumstances and associations in our lives that
^ form a prominent part. Especially are we indebted to
consecrated, whole-souled, conscientious and loving Chris-
tians. Their influence is such that it cannot be measured,
in the untold good that has sprung from a life truly in
Christ Jesus. Such has been the life of S. A. Howenstine
to us. While we believe a pure and holy life springs from
Christ and that we are begotten into this new life by the
word of truth; yet we also believe that he who wishes to
reach that perfect life in Jesus is stimulated to greater
efforts by his brother who has reached or even surpassed
our standard or highest mark.

In our acquaintances; yes I would say in our intimate
relationship, both in family ties and frequent companion-
ship in the work of love to our Master; nothing outside
of God"s word itself has influenced us more in being self-
sacrificing and devoted to the cause of Christ than by the
noble example and worthy life of our departed brother.
Previous to his work in the ministry, whenever we would
chance to meet, after inquiring about the health and gen-
eral welfare of the family, crops, &c., the question would

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I49

most surely come. "How is your Sunday school prosper-
ing?" referring to the school which we were trying to sup-
erintend. Then after a few remarks from us, he would tell
of the new charts and illuminated lessons he had procured
for the purpose of impressing the lesson upon the minds of
the scholars, and to interest the little ones. He would tell
of the "birthday box," and that nearly every Sunday some
one or more would make their birthday contribution or
offering of a penny for each year of their age. Again he
would say, "I have a book of normal lessons," and "that
they had organized a normal class in connection with the
Sunday school." So many things about Abraham, Moses,
Children of Israel, Life of Christ, and the Missionary
Journeys of St. Paul, the Great Apostles to the Gentiles,
that I would feel ashamed and go to work with renewed
energy to search the scriptures and bring out new and inter-
esting points in the lessons. The Sunday school work was
a most plsasant and interesting one to our brother. He
always procured a Standard Sunday school lesson comen-
tary and went before the school well prepared. These
comentaries he prized very much, and kept them for future
reference.

Once a preacher, of a peculiar kind, if 1 may use the
expression, who was stopping with him, was opposed to
the lesson helps in Sunday schools but would use the com-
entaries in preparing his sermons. Then Brother Solon
would say, "if it is wrong to use the helps in Sunday
school we should not use them in preaching the word."

Man, Oh 1 curious thing is he

For trifles will contentious be,

And turn from the spirit real

To m^-sticism and superstition deal.

150 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

There is nothing hke putting sunshine into everything
we undertake to do. And this is one of the things our
brother always did. This sunshine would cheer up the
little ones and make things bright and lively, even taking
away the dark foreboding clouds that often hang over the
minds of many older ones.

Thus, from him we have learned lessons of earnest-
ness and cheerfulness in his Sunday school work. Many
times in my life have I seen the clouds as they hovered
around and above, giving a chill of despondency that was
not altogether pleasant, break away at the very approach
of our friend, as we could see his face beaming with bright-
ness. We always knew we were welcome to his presence,
for at first glance of us he would reach out his hand, or
give some sign, as a taken of joyful recognition.

One of the principles of Christianity in which I take
a deep interest, is that of missionary work, sending the
gospel (by which we have been made to rejoice in sins for-
given) to all the world. In this was Elder Howenstine at
the front with his missionary talks and sermons, collections
and barrels for the little folks. The first foreign missionary
collection ever taken at the Saturn church was after Brother
Howenstine had given a talk on this subject; and this was
before he commenced work in the ministry.

He always took the collection in March at his preach-
ing points. At the beginning of his ministry he preached
for a congregation that gave him but a small compensation
yet he did not fail to present the claims of the missions,
and take the collections. When churches were behind on
his salary, although he was in need of money, he would
make a strong plea for money to send the gospel to the
heathen. His own claims he kept in the background when

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. I5I

it came time for the missionary collection.

Now he has gone to his reward, and who would sup-
pose that he or any other person who has made such sacri-
fices for the extention of a free salvation and the rescue
of perishing souls from death unto life would ever regret
the effort put forth, or the sacrifice made. "Yea, rather
blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. "
How much better to do what Jesus has commanded and
have the blessing promised, than to have so much of this
world and no promise in eternity.

Our brother's life was one of inspiration. Inspiring
those about him to greater undertakings and achievements.
He just laughed at discouragements. "If God be for us
who can be against us." For we are dead and our life is
hid with Christ in God. I once accompanied him to Aboite
Center where he had an appointment to preach. I think
it was his second effort from home, and he was very much
embarrassed and sweat profusely. As soon as we were
out of the church building he said to me, thinking he had
made a failure, "I will not let this discourage me."
Neither did it, for he increased in stature, and strength as a
minister of the gospel very rapidly. "From the abund-
ance of the heart the mouth speaketh. " The tongue is
an unruly member, yet it is an index to the heart, makes
manifest the desires and purposes of each individual. "By
thy words shalt thou be justified, and by thy words shalt
thou be condemned." So by their fruit ye shall know
them. Thereby was our brother known — by a pure and
wholesome conversation, fre^ from enmity and hatred of
his fellow men, yet with no love for sin and its evils. Never
to my knowledge did his language indicate a disposition or
desire to injure or harm a single individual. Truly I can

152

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

say that I have nothing to regret in being so intimately-
connected with S. A. Howenstine, but much in which I
can rejoice over as I reahze the stimulus and the encour-
agement I received from him whom I so dearly loved.

A. M. Gillespie.

CHAPTER XXIII.
THE STORY OF A PRECIOUS LIFE.

tS THE days, weeks and months, each come and go,
They take the autumn leaves, and winter comes with snow;
But while fleeting time passes so quietly and quickly by,
-1 It cannot sooth the aching heart or dry the tearful eye.
With all the comforting, and cheering words from each other.
Our minds still wonder back, to the departure of our dear brother.

Who was such a kind papa, loving husband, and dutiful son,
A dear kind brother, an earnest Christian, a most loveable one.
We turn from this scene in sad and solemn reflection
To Him, from whom there cometh, allwise protection.
And say in our aching hearts, as did God's dear Son,
"Not my will, O Father, but thine be done."

We have heard our parents relate in their fondest ways
The many events in Solon's earliest childhood days.
How he wandered along the river and clambered the hill.
Of his great enjoyment about the home place, and the old water-mill.
We have heard them tell of the joy of his first school days,
Of the pride he took in his lessons, as well as his plays.

How he helped to lighten the burden of household cares.

And thus banished the worried looks, that a tired mother wears.

With rapturous heart, and anxious spirit, he tried to do his best

At helping arrange for the sale, and preparing to come to "the west."

When here in a country so unimproved, so wild, and so new.

Through sickness and trouble, he manfully helped at all he could do.

154 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

And later, though yet in his boyhood, come events of our own rec-

olection;
But of all that comes in our mind, there is naught on which to cast a

reflection.
We can truthfully say that in all our lives we never have heard
Him take God's name in vain, or use a low or vulgar word.
From early youth to manhood, his general disposition was lively and

pleasant;
ISIo social party had lack of humor or joke, whenever he was present:

When we were all but children at home and took great pleasure in play,
Solon was our happy leader, while thus we spent many a happy day.
He was kind and playful with \is younger children, we well recollect
Therefore we could but love him and treat him with due respect.
We remember how he used to wake us, at the early dawn of day,
With one of his favorite tunes, which on the mouth harp he used to play.

He always treated his parents, brother and sisters with kind respect,
It seemed there was no duty, that willingly he would ever neglect.
He was always willing to bear his part, inwhate'er the burden might be.
At labor on farm, at his books, or building up society;
While in his teens he joined the Good Templars and signed the pledge
This seemed to be, in after years, his great foundation ledge.

He was an active member in lyceums where 'twas his lot to attend
Especially in discussions, he delighted a helping hand to lend.
Circumstances uncontrolable prevented his getting an early education,
But by untiring efforts and home study, he successfully passed exam-
ination.
When once enlisted as teacher, his school work was his highest

ambition,
His labors were crowned with success and fond hopes were lost in glad
fruition.

Besides his farm work and teaching, he learned the carpenter's trade.
Nor will we forget his success as a penman and the lovely drawings

he made.
In early manhood days, he laid the foundation of a useful life.
And then crowned all by embracing religion, and renouncing all sinful

strife.
From his boyhood days he faithfully filled his place in the Sabbath

school.
At the old school house though sometimes barefoot, regardless of

fashions rule.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 1 55

And in la,ter years as Sunday school teacher, he filled his place.

He was chosen superintendent, in which he nobly succeeded, by God

given grace.
It seemed his heart and soul, and his work for Christ was centered there ^
And to conduct the school, to accomplish good, was his utmost care.
Many hours he spent and midnight oil he burnt, a thorough knowledge

to gain,
And much labor was spent in drawing maps to make the lessons plain.

His interest in church far exceeded his Sunday school work.

The prayer-meetings were feasts for his soul, there, from duty he never

would shirk;
But was always prepared to give a plain, and practical talk;
Rehearsing God's promises and soliciting all in Christ's footsteps to walk
He was chosen as elder, the position he humbly filled, as best he could —
Oft we saw him, as by the sacred emblems, with quivering lips, in

prayer he stood.

The weekday prayermeeting was never forgotten, no, he was willingly

there.
Unless sickness or uncontrollable circumstances called him to some

earthly care.
Long suffering and patience so much he practiced in the christian race;
The faults and short-comings of others ne'er caused him to fall from

grace.
Through rain or snow or with tired and aching limbs, he would go
To perform the duty he owed to Christ, and, that the good seed he

might sow.

Thus by his faithfulness from the beginning of his christian warfare.
He was considered competent, to take a greater charge to his care.
Through Bro. Hummel' s influence the church authorized him to preach.
And now he realized his weakness, and, as he thought, inability to teach.
But with his never faltering spirit, and the love of God supreme in

his heart.
He humbly bowed in submission, and said by the grace of God, I'll do

my part.

He went to work with zealous care, to search the scripture and gospel

word.
That he might be a workman approved, rightly dividing the word of

the Lord.

156 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

He still lived on the farm and had the many cares belonging to this

vocation.
Which he found, a task too great and hindered his careful preparation.
So he did not seek for greed and gain, brought by trafic in rich men's

vpealth,
But his time undivided in study, we fear, proved a bane to genuine

health.
His first years work was not for churches with a well filled fold;
But for congregations which were scattered and somewhat cold.
He labored prayerfully and earnestly, helping to make wrongs right.
To gather in the scattered ones and save them from eternal night.
The churches at Salem and Saturn, his second year's work and daily care
Were better organized and very much stronger in faith, love and prayer.

And were in fair spiritual condition with zeal for the Master's cause,
Which gave him courage and strength to labor under Christ's whole-
some laws.
In his third year Salem, Saturn and Little River were his ample field,
But early in the year he was called to a church, that promised a much

larger yeild
Of the fruitage of souls, and afford him the pleasure of being at homCj
To enjoy quiet study and a larger share of pastoral work to assume.

From his work in Fort Wayne he was sent to labor, in a meeting at

Payne,
Crowned with success in numbers brought in. and chosen as pastor

there to remain.
He accepted the position now offered, having his labor, thus all at one

place,
And to be with his family was an opportunity, he would gladly embrace.
He then moved there with his family and work he began, in his new

field of labor.
And found no lack of sympathy in christian, friend or neighbor.

But alas ! then came so soon, the monster, dread disease, to mar

their peace.
And fastened on that one .so dear, with hold that only death could

now release.
When this report came to our ears, how sad and anxious every heart;
For we could not help nor render aid because we lived so far apart;
But our prayers went up in his behalf, his recovery was our great desire
But our will was not God's will, he said, "Enough, come up higher."

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. I 57

Oh ! it was so hard to be reconciled to the sad, sad news that his

spirit had fled,
And ere we could reach him, and bid him farewell, his body was

numbered in line with the dead;
No friendly ties, no duties that bound him, or earthly care could

keep him here,
Nor the sighs of a heartbroken wife, or sobs of fatherless children,

for one so dear.
How sad to see the broken family return to the dear old home all

bathed in tears.
Leaving behind their precious dead, yet to arrive at the home of his

childhood years.

It was a comfort to us who had gathered there, with hearts o"er-

whelmed with grief
To meet the broken family and share their sorrow for one, of a life

so brief.
But now came the time which we can find no language to fully or

clearly portra.y.
When in the gloom of the night the hearse arrived with its burden

of human clay.
Oh, could it be: and must he return to home and friends, fast locked

in death's embrace.
Silent, yet speaking comfort and peace by the sweet smile he wore

on his face.

It is over— and the rest of us meet as we oftimes did before.

At the dear home with the grandchildren, almost a score;

But not with the same unclouded happiness as we did when last we met

On the fourth of November, 1892, a day of rare enjoyment we ne'er

can forget.
Ah no ! the family circle seems a chain with a sadly missing link:
Like a ship from a storm with a broken mast, floating near the brink.

But we must seek to mend these breaks by the golden links of love;
And by the hope of meeting our loved ones in that bright home above.
We must seek to let our sadness, merge in the shadows of the past,
And by christian usefulness, serve God as long as life shall last;
Then we too will sweetly and peacefully fall into death's embrace.
And our waiting spirits will gladly go to (Jod's own appointed place.

— Minnie Kaufman.

CHAPTER XXIV.

F*oems.

|RITTEN in behalf of the Aid Society of the Church
M of Christ at Forest, Ind., of which Sister White
was a worthy member.

IN MEMORY OF ALICE WHITE.

Sweet AHce, we have known the from a child

With golden hair and sparkling eyes
And rosy lips that sweetly smiled —

No cloud hung o'er thy sunny skies.

We saw thee in girlhood's happy days
When 'mong us, thou didst gayly move,

We loved thy meek and quiet ways —
Yes, none knew thee but to love.

We saw thee when a happy bride,

With fond hope in glad fruition lost.
With thy loving husband by thy side,

Whom troubled seas had not yet tossed.

We saw thee when a loving mother —

Two little cherubs by thy knee;
But one so quickly left his brother

And sailed across the "narrow sea."

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 159

Again we saw thee take thy place

'Mong those who worship at the cross,

When thou didst feel thy need of grace,
To help thee bear this grievous loss.

We saw the quivering of thy palid lip.

The throbbing of thy heart, we almost heard,
When Jesus with his finger's tip

Touched thy heart with his own word.

And when the inviting voice was heard,

We saw the gently forward move,
Nor even wait, nor linger back.

For him who shared thy grief and love.

We saw thee stand before the throng,
And heard that worthy Name confess'd.

And saw thee sink into the liquid grave
And rise with joy and pardon blest.

We saw thee in the walks of life

Go out among us day by day;
Endure the toil, and pain, and strife.

While heavenly grace ilium 'ed thy way.

We saw thee when the icy hand of death

Was laid upon thy heaving breast;
No murmur with thy labored breath —

But only longing for that blessed rest.

Look up, sad ones and dry your tears.

This gem to you was but a loan;
You have enjoyed it through these years,

But God has lately called it home.

[60 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

Yes, the precious wife and mother,
Has entered through the pearly gates,

To meet her son, and Elder Brother
Jesus Christ, whose welcome ever waits.

— By Lydia Howenstine.

The following lines were written for the Howenstine
reunion, by L. Howenstine, and spoken by Florence Gill-
espie :

GREETING TO THE REUNION.

The storms of early spring are past,
And lovely May with sunny June
And August's fiercer heat;
Have come and gone and autumn's here at last,
And we are here our friends to greet.

From east to west and north and south
Are gathered to this pleasant grove,

With rich enjoyment rife;
Fond hearts that throb with dearest ties
To mingle here in peace and love.

We have prepared our cakes and pies.
And chickens, veal, and cheese, and beef,

And sundries thrown between;
Jam and butter, jellies and fruit,

Stand out in bold yet grand relief.

Seats and tables we've made to hold
The bounties of our ample feast.

That here to-day is spread;
And chairs and cushions for the old

And cabs for "babies from the east."

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. l6l

We hope that all aHke will feel
Entitled to these goodly things

Provided by your western friends; .
And let your cares and troubles fly away
As though they were on eagle's wings.

The roll is called, response is made
Each one in answer to his name,

That in this list appears;
But many a flower will droop and fade
Ere thus we all shall meet again.

A greater meeting yet remains
Beyond the shores and bounds of time,

In that bright land above.
We'll there forget our losses and our gains
If we but reach that heavenly clime.

Oh, who in gladness will be there
To answer to this solemn call,

That from the record comes?
The aged ones, the young and fair,

The wise, the simple, great and small.

Rich feasts of love will there be spread,
And music charm our ravished ears.
That comes from angel's harp
When pain and sorrow both have fled

And God hath wiped away our tears.

But parting there will not be known;
And rest and sabbath never end

In that fair and happy land.
And peace and friendship joy and love,

In heavenly light forever blend.

l62 FROM THE CRAULK TO THE GRAVE,

Now friends, farewell, good bye, adieu!
We wish you all a kind good night.

And happy dreams withall.
Be cheerful, patient, good and true,

And walk by faith in God's own light.

AN APRIL SUNSET.

Written by the "writer" Sunday evening, April 22nd,
1894.

Four days of dark and gloomy weather,

No ray of sunshine thrown between.
But drizzling rain and sleet together

Made the hours drag slowly on.

And weary children fretful grew

Because their room a prison seemed;
They watched the pattering of the rain.

And o'er their childish visions dreamed.

The weary mother bore about

A heavy load of household care —
Cast anxious glances at the clouds,

And longed for weather, dry and fair.
The sheep were huddled in the fold

The lambs were like the children, dull;
The grass was wet, and stiff, and cold,

The cows were lowing on the wold.

The early garden, sorry looked —

With onions peeping through the ground;

And lettuce prematurely cooked,
In "cruel frosts" unwelcome round.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOVVENSTINE. 163

The robin sat upon her nest

From early 'morn till dusky night —
From her building she must rest

While things are in this dismal plight.

The cat was lying by the fire

Her downy paws spread out to warm.
The dog was whining at the door,

Driven there by rain and storm.

The father laid the "paper" by

To go and do his evening "chores" —
He takes a prospect of the sky

And to his work reluctant goes.

But lo ! a brightness in the "west"

Breaks through the parting clouds;
And glitters on the woodland's breast,

And all the world in beauty shrouds.

The house, the barn, the windmill tall

Are burnished o'er with shining gold.
The columns, and the castle wall

Are dressed in beauty yet untold.

Oh ! who this scene of radiance can behold

And not awaken holy thought
Of Him who tinges all with gold

That his Omnipotence may touch.

O let our hearts reach out to Him

That we His beauties may adore —
O let our souls be ever filled

That we may hunger never more.

164 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

The following is a letter written to an intimate friend,
and one among the last ever written by our beloved S. A.
Howenstine, which came into our hands after all the fore-
going pages were written :

Payne, Ohio, July 29, 1863.
Mr. H. Kaufman, Valparaiso^ Lid.:

My Dear F'riend — I received your letter some time
ago and was glad to hear from you once' more. I thought
I would get to see you on my way to Chicago, but was
disappointed. However, 1 had a very pleasant time with
Brother Smith and Prof. H. B. Brown; I wish I could be
with you going to school there; but I am doing some hard
studying at home this summer. It seems strange to me to
have no farm work to do this summer, but I am working
harder than ever I did on the farm. My work on Sunday
is, first, 9:30, teach a class in Sunday school and there were
forty-five in it last Sunday; at 10:45 ^^^ have our commun-
ion; at 11:00, preaching. Then I go five miles in the
country and preach at 3:30 p. m., then come back to town
for Y. P. S. C. E. at 7:00, and at 8:00 preach. So you see
1 am very busy. On Monday evening I am at home. On
Tuesday evening I go out in the country in another direc-
tion and preach. Wednesday evening we have our prayer
meeting and Bible reading; Thursday evening at home; on
Friday evening we have our union meeting of all the pas-
tors and many of the members of the seven churches in
Payne. There are seven preachers who attend the meet-
ings: the Catholic priest does not attend. On Saturday
evenings I rest, for Sunday's labors. Our Sunday school
has an attendance of from 160 to 180 scholars. I have
married two couple since I came here, and received a V

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. 165

each time. When will you be ready for that event, as you'
remember the bargain. We like Payne first rate, and I
find we can live elsewhere just as well as at Forest. I was
offered 126 acres of well improved land near Geneva, Ind.,
for my property in Fort Wayne, but I dont want a farm
now. Harris, when you write to me, I want to know
whether you go to Sunday school and church, and if you
have become a Christian yet ? If you have not, I beg of
you not to put it off too long. You are preparing to live
and to fill some important place in life, but death may over-
take you before you are prepared to meet it. It will not
cost you anything to make preparation to meet God. And
without it you lose all, both in this life and in the life to
come. With the preparation to die you are better pre-
pared to live. Tell me how Robert is getting along in the
west. Give me his address and I will write to him. I
wish you could come and visit us during vacation — the
Paulding County Institute will be held at Payne the second
week in August. Come and attend it. I will board you
free. Prof. Smith, president of Angola Normal School
lectures here August nth.

I must close. This leaves us well and we hope it may
find you enjoying the same great blessing. Little Nellie
would like to see you. I remain yours as ever.

S. A. HOWENSTINE.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCLUSION.

rrirT^E HAVE now briefly narrated the principle events
t4'A\li ""^ ^^^^ beautiful and interesting life of Elder S. A.
[^ rr-i Howenstine. But in conversing with persons, from
time to time, with whom he was intimately acquainted dur-
ing his ministerial and pastoral work, we learn of many
things of interest and worthy of notice and imitation, which
will not be found recorded in this little volume.

Well might the beloved disciple say in the concluding
chapter of his Gospel, "There are many other things
which Jesus did, which are not recorded in this Book,
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that
even the world itself could not contain the books that
should be written."

This favored disciple felt so oyerwhelmed and amazed
when he contemplated the love of Jesus, that he felt that
it would require the universe to contain it; and the tongues
of angels and redeemed spirits to express it in all its mag-
nanimity.

No wonder it takes much thought and research to
record all the deeds of love and human kindness done by
one humble, self-sacrificing follower of this blessed Savior,
in the space of his brief hfe in this world of sorrow. We
shall now endeavor to give a short notice or account of the

LIFE OF ELD. S. A, HOWENSTINE. 167

brethren and sisters of the home congregation, who passed
through the portals of death in the same year with Elder
Solon Howenstine.

The year 1893 was one of great mortality in the
Church of Christ at Forest. Early in the year — in the
latter part of February perhaps — occurred the death of
Sister Emery, an aged and most exemplary member of our
congregation. Then we were not, as a church, called to
the house of mcturning again until July 2d, when our very
dear sister, Eva J. Ihrig, was crushed to death by a loco"
motive engine while on her way to church at Marion, Ind.

And our sorrow was only somewhat mitigated, when
we were called to mourn the loss of our beautiful, fair-
haired, sunny-tempered young sister, Delia Richmond, who
was struck with the dismal blight of typhoid fever, and,
like a blighted flower, withered away in one short week.

In this same week our dearly beloved, S. A. Howen-
stine, took his bed with the same dread disease, and a few
days later, despite all human efforts to save his life, he had
to succumb to the last enemy, Death. And when his
corpse was brought home to his father's house, Mrs. Arabel
Smith, a sister in the church and schoolmate of his youth,
was among the mourning friends and neighbors gathered
there to receive him, and exclaimed, "Who will be the
next one?"

The day following day she took her bed, and another
week told the story of her life. She was borne away to
the Evergreen cemetery and lain away with the rest of the
loved ones, leaving a husband and two bright little daugh-
ters to mourn the loss of a devoted wife and loving mother.

Then in early winter when sunny days had almost
vanished from the van of the year, Bro. Henry lunery fol-

l68 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

lowed his .beloved wife to that better land where she had
so lately gone.

A (ew days later his neice, Mrs. Palmer, was joined
to the company of brothers and sisters who iiad crossed
the Jordan of death.

And before the Christmas festivities were ushered in,
William H. Swan, an aged and highly respected citizen of
Forest, fell asleep and was laid by his companion, who
had been called away some twenty- five years before.

And while we were mourning these losses and sympa-
thizing wath the bereaved, our dear young sister, Lillian
Richards, was steadily and surely pining away with that
self deluding disease, "Consumption;" but her sweet life
was prolonged till March 2, 1894, when the church was
again draped in the emblems of deep mourning, and the
tolling of the bell announced that another member had
passed the portals of death and entered into life eternal.
But as the church was being filled up for the funeral ser-
vices conducted by Elder A. M. Gillespie it was noticed
that Brother John Bents, one of the deacons, was absent
and it was whispered from one to another that he was ser-
ously ill.

After the body of Sister Lilly was consigned to its
last resting place in Evergreen cemetery, the attention of
the church was turned to Brother Bents and with all the
aid that mortals could render, in one short week he bid his
friends and family adieu, and said, "I am going to meet
Solon. God will take care of us all."

■ After we had paid the last respects and loving atten-
tion to Brother Bents and his dear mourning family, the
word was circulated that Sister Wince, Brother Emery's
daughter, was very sick, with congestion of the lungs.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. '169

It was but the story of death told over again and she was
gathered to her parents who had so lately gone before.
All these dear ones were gathered home from one church
and one neighborhood in the space of about thirteen
months.

It seems like a story of romance; but it is too true.
The ertipty seats in the church, the aching hearts and the
tearful eyes are sad witnesses to the solemn fact. In our
imagination, and through faith in the word of God, we can
see the great company of the redeemed on the other side
of the chilly river of death, in the paradise of God waiting
the resurrection of the body and the second coming of
Christ, when we that have lived in faith, obedience, and
holiness; shall be permitted to walk the streets of the New
Jerusalem with harps in our hands, and songs on our lips,
in praise of Jesus our great Redeemer.

Then we will no more remember our petty grievances,
the earth-born sorrows, the tribulations and persecutions of
this earth-life which is but a state of preparation, a furnace
for the refining of gold and the separation of the dross;
bringing out souls that are thoroughly purified by obeying
the truth, and educated to trust God in all things, and to
commit all to His care and keeping.

The soul that trusts forever sings
And soars aloft on airy wings. •

A well of peace within it springs
Whate'er to-day or morrow brings.

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